From Discovery News:
“E-books have grown in popularity, but we think they lost the physical features that real books have,” said Yuichi Itoh, an associate professor at Osaka University and project manager for the new device, called “Paranga.” Itoh worked with Osaka University students as well as Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumni to develop the hardware and software for the reader.
The device is a mixture of high and low technology. Inspired by flipbooks, the prototype has two facing parts resembling an open-faced book. Page turning is controlled on the right-hand side, which is made from a flexible rubber sheet covered in spongy cloth. Along the sheet’s edge, a narrow cylindrical roller with page-like grooves connects to sensors inside the device.
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The device isn’t aimed at sophisticated e-book readers. Instead, Itoh said that Paranga would be more useful for children and the elderly because it looks and feels more like a real book, making it easier to understand and control.
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See Also: Learn More and Watch Video of Paranga (via Osaka University)
[Via INFOdocket]
