We’ve highlighted tech stories featuring self-driving cars, medical assistance, military training and more. But now it’s time to spotlight something a little more common and accessible.
We’re talking about handwriting -- the thing that’s taken a backseat to typing and voice-text in recent years, and one company is taking a modern approach to the old-school activity.
From birthday cards, wedding invites and thank you notes, we all know the emotional touch that comes from flexing those fingers, as opposed to just typing something out, but the traditional way takes time, compared to the other tech-enabled options.
But now there’s a way to still maintain that personal touch, without all the hassle.
As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. While the metaphor isn’t meant in a combative context here, what if this time, the pen is being held not by a human, but by a robot?
“All of these robots hold a real pen. It’s a Pilot G two ballpoint pen. They’re all autonomous. And in that, we send jobs to the robots, the robots take care of the rest. And they write out 10 to 20,000 notes a day,” David Wachs, CEO and founder of Handwrytten, said.
Handwrytten is a company whose name underlines the clear objective, delivering hand-crafted notes and letters.
But the technological twist is that it’s done through the power of patented robot technology.
The idea, Wachs says, came after he sold his previous company during the process of writing thank you notes to employees and clients.
“So I thought, ‘Gee, there has to be a better way. Why not use robots to do this? Why not figure out a way to make sending a handwritten note as easy as sending an email?’” Wachs said.
The robots are built by robots in the company’s facility in Tempe, Arizona.
Artificial intelligence is used for the handwriting, making every character look a little different.
Additionally, some help from ChatGPT is ready for anyone who may be at a loss for words.
“It used to be -- it was hard to come up with something to write and put it in the mail. And then, the only task we left our users with was coming up with what to write. Now they don’t even need to do that. They can go on our website, click the AI Assist button, which is powered by ChatGPT, and say, ‘Write a thank you note,’” Wachs said.
There’s even a way for the robots to use your exact handwriting, if you want your own penmanship to take center stage.
Once given a sample, the robots “learn” the way a particular person writes, then saves that information for future use.
It’s one of the ways Handwrytten holds onto that personal touch.
Anyone can use the company’s tools -- even folks down here in South Florida swear by its convenience.
Yesenia Rivera, a real estate agent, says Handwrytten not only helps her stand out in her line of work, but presents an opportunity to reintroduce a form of communication that’s now turned into a throwback.
“I’ve just gotten lots of feedback from my clients on the thoughtfulness and the fact that nobody does that anymore,” Rivera said. “Even if I’ve sent you multiple cards, it’s always like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe you sent me a card.’ I guess it’s just something that’s been lost in our culture, that personal touch,” she said.
It’s a blend between classic sensibility and a modern coat of paint. Not replacing what we used to do, but making what’s old new again, one robotically intelligent pen stroke at a time.
“We help people connect in a meaningful way,” Wachs said. “And being able to be a part of that and help people be appreciative and help people share their thanks -- it’s a fun, nice place to be.”
Right now, Handwrytten has 175 robots.
The company says it’s working on building more and faster robots, as well as developing new capabilities that will allow Handwrytten to create and send out more custom cards across multiple industries.