Researchers breathe new life into paper books with the Magic Bookmark

The University of Surrey has created a new, cost-effective, ecological alternative for augmenting the printed page with wealthy, up-to-day digital articles. The progress overcomes a single of the most significant positive aspects e-textbooks have above paper guides, aiding paper manage its potent position in its levels of competition with digital media.

Scientists at the University of Surrey’s Innovative Engineering Institute and Electronic Planet Study Centre have made an elegant and intuitive digital technique that allows the viewers of a paper book to access connected multimedia information by only positioning a bookmark on a web site. The Magic Bookmark employs optical contrast sensors to discern a sample printed up coming to the book’s backbone on each website page. Due to the fact no electronics are embedded in the paper book, charges are minimised, and finish-of-everyday living recycling is enabled.

The research, printed in the peer-reviewed Superior Intelligent Devices journal, explores numerous ways of producing the process. Just after a collection of prototypes, the optimised variation works by using an optical barcode printed alongside web site margins near the backbone of the guide and a removable physical bookmark with embedded sensors. Modest, convenient and adaptable, the closing program is straightforward to manufacture and can be detached from the paper to increase other compatible guides.

The process developments the thought of barcodes and QR codes, that means the sensors can go through a broad selection of marks, like shades of gray and diverse colors. This can make the system customisable so that barcodes can be concealed in visuals or created practically invisible to the human eye, nonetheless detectable by the sensors working with a distinctive off-white ink supplied by industrial collaborator, Printcolor.

Prof David Frohlich, Task Direct and Director of the Electronic Environment Research Centre at the University of Surrey, explained:

“This solves a challenge with our previously makes an attempt to instrument just about every page with electronics. The Magic Bookmark means guides can be printed on frequent paper as normal, nonetheless the electronics shift through the guide as you study — on a humble bookmark.”

Georgios Bairaktaris, PhD researcher at the State-of-the-art Technological know-how Institute, reported:

“In Dr Radu Sporea’s team, we have been creating know-how in compact digital gadgets for sensing and interaction with the true environment. We focus on minimalistic remedies with a look at of lower-price manufacturability and robustness in the course of use. It’s crucial to us that there are liable disposal options at the conclusion of products’ lifetime cycles as effectively.”

Future, the crew is adapting the program to use thoroughly printed photosensors, which will make the Magic Bookmark indistinguishable from a typical bookmark. They aim to look into how a lot more daily objects can be augmented with printed electronics and employed as interfaces to the digital environment.

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