Print on paper, still one of the most tactile methods of communication in today’s technology-centered global market, has been given a new lease on life by Fujitsu, with a system that redefines its tactility by turning the printed page into an interactive touchscreen.
Through the use of a commercial projector and a webcam combined with new imaging technology, the Fujitsu system, which is still in the development stage, enables the printed page – in fact, any surface – to respond to the touch of a finger or a swipe in the same way smartphones and mobile devices with touchscreens do.
Through the use of a low-resolution webcam and a standard commercial projector, Fujitsu is able to project a light-sourced interactive interface onto the paper’s surface, using the camera to track the page’s size and contents along with the reader’s moving fingers.
A video demo of the technology published by Tokyo-based online video news site, Diginfo, (see below) shows a Fujitsu Laboratories rep manipulate a page of text and images with his fingers, highlighting text, and cropping and capturing images with the webcam.
With augmented reality already playing a large part in a number of local print marketing campaigns, the new Fujitsu technology could enable print and paper-based material to behave more like its electronic rivals – but with the added benefit of its existing tactility.
Fujitsu says it hopes to bring its touchscreen interface system to market some time next year.
Check out the video demonstration below: