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Thanks Sharon. This sounds like it could be a winner for folks with writing problems due to tremor, however, I'M one of them Parkies that's never HAD a tremor! (making me a minority within a minority, I guess) <rueful smile> When I try to write, my hand (and brain, in this case, I guess) just fights me and within a few moments I'm completely stuck and all one could see is a scribble. I *HATE* it when that happens! To add insult to injury, I used to do beautiful calligraphy. Oddly, tho.... I can STILL comfortably paint as a lefty (oils, acrylic, etc..) and build doll houses and most of their furnishings with no problems whatsoever. A paintbrush or the tools I use to make the miniatures feels completely normal in my primary left hand, yet a pen or pencil feels UN-natural now. Is THAT strange or WHAT? Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Sharon <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 4:56 AM Subject: Re: Hand Writing Barb, I don't know if the following will lead you to some new information re handwriting, but I came across it yesterday on the InteliHealth from Johns Hopkins. "Biomedical engineers create software to transform wobbly handwriting" Jittery handwriting is all too familiar to families and friends of people with PD....the involuntary tremor of Parkinson's can sometimes make handwriting almost illegible. But what if a computer could transform wobbly handwriting into penmanship that even a grammar school teacher would approve? Hopkins biomedical engineers have created software that does just that. Users of the system write on a digitizing tablet, and a wave form version of the handwriting is fed into a computer. A software program then measures the characteristic frequency of the user's tremor. While tremor frequency varies from one person to the next, each person with PD shakes at a relatively constant frequency. The program then subtracts the tremor frequency, in effect cleaning up the handwriting. PD patients are not the only ones who might benefit from the technology. Brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and even the natural aging process can lead to pathological tremor, notes Nitish Thakor, professor of biomedical engineering, and the principal investigator. "We're hoping that this software will be useful for people with (such) disabilities," he says. The National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research funded the project." Sorry, I could find no pertinent date on the article...but someone else may know of this project. Have a great Tuesday! Sharon E.