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TORONTO STAR Author to unveil a long-distance autograph device The writer's tour takes leap forwardinto science fiction Mar. 1, 2006. 01:00 AM ANGELA PACIENZA She's known to millions as a sharp-witted, bestselling author. Now Margaret Atwood is set to don a new hat with the release this weekend of what's believed to be the world's first long-distance signing device. An international book star thanks to novels like The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin, Atwood admits her new "inventor" role has turned a few heads. "The reactions have been: That's great. She's mad. It's a joke. She's ruining (book tour) signatures. I can hardly wait to have one," she said in an interview over coffee at a downtown Toronto restaurant. The LongPen machine, which Atwood is unveiling Sunday in London, England, allows writers to sign books for fans anywhere in the world. Here's how it works: The author scribbles a message using a stylus pen on a computer tablet. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan chat via webcam. Created with book tours in mind, the machine has several other potential applications: enhancing credit card security, allowing doctors to write prescriptions for out-of-town patients, and signing legal forms such as divorce or real-estate documents. The LongPen is also adaptable to hold CDs and hockey sticks, allowing stars to give autographs remotely. The idea for the device came to Ottawa-born Atwood, 66, during a gruelling book tour for Oryx and Crake, her 2003 novel. Rushing from one city to another, Atwood thought "there must be a better way" to do book tours. She hired a couple of techies and started her own company, Unotchit (as in "you no touch it"), in the summer of 2004. The building of the device they designed was subcontracted to a Toronto manufacturer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After two test runs last year in Ottawa and Guelph, the LongPen will officially be launched at the London Book Fair. Atwood will conduct two transatlantic book signings of her latest release, The Tent, for fans in bookshops in Guelph and New York City. Unlike a photocopier or automatic pen, which simply duplicates the same signature, the LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. The video exchange can be recorded on DVD for a memento or for proof when signing legal documents or credit-card transactions. Eventually, the designers hope to get the gadget small enough for use on home computers. "It's been a triumph of robotics software writing and micro-engineering," Atwood said. The device went through several incarnations, including one "which actually did have smoke coming out. It was one of those mad scientist movie moments." The response to the invention has not been all favourable. Some authors think she's trying to end book tours. She denies any such intention. "I've said it time and again. This will not cause literary festivals, big-ticket events (to end). All of that will remain as is," she said. "But it will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn't afford it." |  |