The invention means engineers can fill in specially-designed forms quickly, with data sent automatically from the pen to a mobile phone or computer.
Each digital pen features normal ink and a tiny camera that records movement as the pen moves over special grid paper. Information, including drawings, is then sent for storage on the pen’s onboard memory chip.
When engineers have finished filling in the form, they tick one of two boxes at the bottom that instruct the pen to send all of the data it has recorded to either a mobile phone or PC via Bluetooth.
Destiny, the British company behind the invention, said the transmission process takes under a minute and costs less than a postage stamp.
Engineers from Advanced Peripheral Systems (APS), who were struggling to produce quotes quickly enough for their clients because of heavy workloads, are now using the technology.
“Manually collating and processing the paper reports was causing a backlog of between two and three weeks,” said APS managing director Andy Fox. “The result was that customers were chasing us for quotes.”
Working together, APS and Destiny designed the simple tick box forms that allow engineers to record tests, make notes and drawings of where to position critical security systems and to stipulate any maintenance required.
The pens gave APS an instant record of jobs, allowing them to discuss work with clients within minutes of the engineer leaving the site.
“We can both be looking at exactly the same information and we can see immediately what’s been carried out,” Fox said.
“And the whole process is much quicker for our engineers. They can raise a job, enter the details using an unlimited number of characters and drawings, transmit the data electronically and give the customer a written copy.”
APS claims to have secured a 20% increase in contracts in the 12 months since adopting digital pen technology.
Fox said, “We’ve reduced the time it takes to generate a works order from two weeks to one day. We can now get more work done, and because the information we’re using is more accurate and reliable, we’re working more efficiently.”
To find out more about the digital pen technology, now marketed under the Logitech brand, Visit the Destiny website.