This article was published on August 3, 2016

This smart pen lets you scan the world for color and custom mix any ink shade


This smart pen lets you scan the world for color and custom mix any ink shade

Hot off Spector, the IRL eyedropper tool for identifying fonts, the internet graces us with another designer-friendly toy that aims to help artists draw inspiration from the colors that surround them.

The Cronzy Pen claims to be able to stuff 16 million different colors into a single piece of writing utensil, using a built-in ink cartridge to custom mix whatever color you desire. You can use an accompanying app to pick your preferred shade, or use a scanner at the tip of the pen as an eyedropper to scan colors from whatever’s around you.

An Indiegogo project, the team behind the Cronzy pen also claims its Li-Po battery can get you using the pen for days without having to recharge. You’ll also receive interchangeable pen tips for various line weights.

The project was conceptualized in 2014, and the team is now seeking $200,000 to put it in testing phase. If all goes well, it’ll be ready to production in spring 2017, with shipment likely later that fall.

It’s a neat product that would please anyone from designers and adult coloring book enthusiasts to kids and art students. So far, the prototype shows a thick scanning component that can successfully identify four different colors and custom mix the ink accurately, but takes nearly a minute for the pen to be ready to use.

If you’re willing to bet on the Cronzy pen, you can pledge today for the early bird price of $100. When it ships, the pen is estimated to sell for $300.

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