Paper that talks to you
Research teams at Mid Sweden University’s Fiber Science and Communication Network (FSCN) are working on the fourth generation of paper products that can communicate with computers. This integrates paper with the digital world.
“We combine paper with printed graphic codes and electronically conductive ink engineered to be pressure sensitive,” said Mikael Gullikson, project leader for media technology. “Digital information is embedded in the paper and, when it is touched, the information comes out via printed speakers.”
The technology has been used in a prototype ‘music display board’. This slightly bowed board has a number of music albums printed directly on paper. Music can be sampled by touching the front of the album and the sound is streamed out of the paper.
According to the researchers, the technology is inexpensive, combining images, sound, and space in an environmentally friendly way.
