San Francisco company Scribble Technology has revealed a prototype for a writing device that can scan specific tones and then write in the same colour (+ slideshow).

Scribble is the "world's first colour picking pen" according to its inventors Mark Barker and Robert Hoffman, who launched a fundraising drive to manufacture the tool on Kickstarter earlier this week.

It features an integrated scanner that works with a colour sensor and microprocessor to detect colours.

Coloured ink stored within the case is mixed to the matching tone and dispensed through the nib like a standard pen for writing or drawing.

The pen's inventors say it can store over 100,000 unique colours in its internal memory and reproduce over 16 million unique tones.

"For the colour blind, kids, interior decorators, homeowners, teachers, artists, photographers, designers and students, the Scribble colour picker pen will make copying an exact colour, any colour from any object, an absolute breeze," said a spokesperson from Scribble.

"With Scribble you can scan, match or compare colours, draw on paper or your mobile device."

The pen is small enough to fit into a pocket or small bag.

A Scribble Stylus that will pick up colour and transfer it to an app via Bluetooth also lets users match colours for drawing on a smartphone or tablet device.

The Scribble+ app allows colours to be named, tagged and organised into sets to make them easier to search for. Stored colours can also be shared with others using Bluetooth.

The product reached its crowdfunding goal of $100,000 (£60,000) within five hours and more than tripled its target, but Scribble Technology cancelled the funding yesterday after Kickstarter requested a more illustrative video demonstrating the device.

Plans to re-launch the product with a more detailed video are underway, with a date yet to be confirmed.

A few devices that could change the way we draw have launched on Kickstarter over the past couple of years. A pen that lets users draw solid 3D shapes in mid-air was funded in May and another implement that can "print" 3D drawings attracted nearly $500,000 in one day from backers last February.