Canadian author Margaret Atwood (author of the dystopian theocracy novel
The Handmaid's Tale, the scifi novel
Oryx and Crake and numerous quite good short stories) has
devised a system for autographing fans' books over a distance. The LongPen, as she calls it, consists of a video linkup and a robot arm, operated by telepresence, which allows the author to talk to fans whilst signing their books from the comfort of her home. The device will get its public debut at the London Book Fair, with Atwood signing autographs whilst remaining in Canada, in what is being billed as the world's first transatlantic autograph.