"We are very pleased with the Discovery PEN - It is an easy way to increase accessibility within the galleries."
Katey Boal - Learning Manager, Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre
The DiscoveryPEN is simple, but effective and affordable, technology which is used in schools, by the RNIB, for Bird recognition, and for Museums, Heritage Houses, and Nature Trails. The pen has 3 buttons, although only the power button is needed to listen to an audio trail.
Turn on the power button and touch any ‘sound-spot’ printed on leaflets, badges, posters etc. The sensor tip detects the sound spot and plays back the allocated mp3 file. The pen-user can pause the recording by clicking the M button quickly, or stop it by touching another sound spot. The user defines their own sequence. (The record button is for project work in which venues have student visitors, such as talking panels.) The audio port is for headphones or power speakers, and can be used by people with partial hearing-loss via RNIB approved induction-loop earphones. There is a USB port which is used to recharge the batteries, or to transfer files for new trails. The silicone sleeve protects against knocks and prevents users from accessing the rechargeable batteries. There is also a point for attaching lanyards. Inside is an 8GB SD card, expandable to 16GB. (8GB will give approximately 150 hours of recording.) Charging time is 1.5 hours, and the pen will run for an average 2500 'taps' on a sound spot (much more if headphones are used). The built-in speakers provide enough sound for normal sound environments, and many users set volume levels where they can hold the pen near their ear like a phone.
It’s easy to make your own tour... A step by step approach: