Robot Copies Handwriting Using a Fountain Pen!

Perhaps homework assignments will never be safe again… perhaps all ‘handwritten’ love letters will one day be curated by robots… perhaps we will all have the option to never touch a pen again!

It’s hard to say what will come of this, but thanks to Bond, a New York City handwriting service that set up in late 2014, you can now have all your letters written out for you by a robot.

For a sum of $499, you can attend the workshop, have the experts curate your handwriting for the robot and then, whenever you need it, you can order letters, cards and other communications to be sent to friends and loved ones in your very own handwriting.

The only thing you’ll have to touch is your bank card.

What’s more, Bond also offers pre-set fonts in an array of beautiful, scruffy and artistic designs, and even offers handwriting styles based on famous people, such as Sigmund Freud. The process also guarantees that there will be no mistakes – ensuring a professionally written letter every time.

Founder, Sonny Caberwal, says that:

“We’re not trying to fool people into believing that someone wrote the note for them. We’re trying to give people a tool to express themselves in the way they want.”

Interestingly, this could open up a whole new way of doing business for companies too, as it has been found that people are far more likely to open up an envelope with a handwritten address on it.

So, rather than sending out a stream of printed letters, the chances are that B2B communications in the future could all be handwritten by robots.

Of course, $499 is a tad expensive to say the least, so are there any alternatives on the market?

At the moment, the biggest competitor looks to be the Handywritten Thank You Notes & Greeting Cards app.

For just $3.50, users are able to send real cards and notes with a message that is written with real pens and ink, the only hitch of course being that it is all written by a robot. Although the app doesn’t allow for personalised handwriting measures, the end result is found to be entirely rewarding

David Wachs, founder of the app, says that, “There’s a certain sentimental nature that goes along with receiving an actual note.”

What are your thoughts on this robot handwriting technology? Personally, I enjoy writing by hand way too much to ever imagine paying for a robot to do it for me! I can see the appeal for businesses though.

In other robot news, the “ultimate test for robots” has also been discovered, and it involves assembling IKEA furniture. Take a look at the tongue-in-cheek video in this article by the BBC.