Northwestern students invent 'Steady Scrib' to help people with Parkinson's write

EVANSTON, Ill. - A novel invention from a granddaughter with love. Isabelle Mokotoff crafted a special pen to keep her grandfather’s writing alive, despite a debilitating condition.  

"Me and all of my siblings and all my cousins would receive weekly handwritten letters from my Pops," said Mokotoff, a junior studying entrepreneurship and journalism at Northwestern University. 

Her love of journalism was embedded into her life by her grandfather, Neal Andelman. In his early 70’s, Andelman lost his ability to write due to Parkinson’s disease.  

"She was so frustrated with the lack of solutions for people with Parkinson’s," said her friend and sorority sister Alexis Chan, a bioengineering student, also at Northwestern. 

Together, the two friends invented the Steady Scrib, a pen that counteracts the symptoms of Parkinson’s and allows the user to write.   

"There are magnets in the pen that attract to the steel backing, so it snaps in place, and this creates a weight that keeps the pen tip on the paper and stabilizes unwanted movements and tremors," explained Chan.  

They went through several iterations of the pen with help from Northwestern University’s "Jump Start" program, which provided funding and guidance to get their new product off the ground.

"Being able to see [Pops] and other people with Parkinson’s disease write really just makes this all worth it," said Mokotoff.  

They are currently looking for a manufacturer for their product but anticipate it to be on the market soon. To sign up for product updates, visit www.steadyscrib.com