The other person's messages are processed by an Arduino microcontroller, which controls the solenoids that pull down the keys on the typewriter. Yes, a paper serves as the device's "screen," and to reply, you need to type on it, too. Hounsham designed Dico (the Latin word for speaking, talking and playing an instrument) as his senior year project at Plymouth. It won him an IBM Smarter Planet Award, since (according to his website) the company thought it demonstrated "the technical qualities and imagination required to help make the world a Smarter Planet.
Sounds like it could be fun to use, especially since it sometimes types up encrypted messages (he wanted the piece to post questions about online security, as well) in the middle of a chat that you can decode with a book he made. Since not everyone's capable of making a version of their own, you can watch Dico in action below or read how Hounsham created it on the IBM blog.
