An American physics professor noticed his students could not listen properly to what he was saying and draw diagrams at the same time.

So he developed a way to drop his complex white board presentations directly on to a computer screen and then be printed out using a standard printer.

The gadget is called a mimio flipChart and will be available in the UK from this week. The unit works remarkably well and requires little operating skill. Set up is easy: a unit about the size and shape of a telephone handset is clamped to the flipchart holder and connected to the computer by a USB or serial cable.

Conventional marker pens are inserted into a special stylus/pen holder and an infrared sensor picks up the movement of the stylus as it is used to write on the board.

Software installation is quick and easy. Slip the single CD into your drive and follow the instructions. There is nothing to it.

The unit is both attractive and hard-wearing. There is almost nothing to wear out, apart from the felt tip pens, which are a standard size, available from almost any office supplies catalogue.

The unit enabled me to print out complex diagrams exactly as they looked on the board. I was able to save the diagrams so that I had a reference copy for the next presentation.

The mimio can give a whole class of children a perfect diagram in minutes.

Price: £199.

Contact: 0870 458 3344 or www.uk.mimio. com Feel good factor: 9 out of 10.