Light pens

A light pen is a special pen that is primarily used in conjunction with a computer. It acts as a substitute for a computer mouse and is therefore helpful to anyone who finds using a mouse difficult or challenging.

A further type of light pen is a pen that uses illumination in the form of a torch light that is built into the body of the pen.

Computer light pen

A computer light pen is an alternative to a computer mouse and it is used to highlight objects, icons and other on screen display components by directing a narrow beam of light at the light sensitive detector screen (monitor).

The light pen or pointer can then be moved around and used in a similar fashion to a mouse to select, highlight or move on screen objects. Light pens work in a similar way to a touch screen, however the level of accuracy is improved and they can also be used for drawing or graphical applications.

A light pen can be an ideal method of interacting with a computer if the mouth is used rather than the hands.

Light pens can be connected to the computer via a port and cable, or be wireless (which may be more desirable) although batteries will be required when this is the case.

The light pen does of course require a monitor and application that can detect the light pen and this can make the IT (computer) set up an expensive one.