Tech Shout!

Have you ever heard a paper talking back to you? Well, we haven’t and obviously so haven’t you. But now, researchers from Mid Sweden University have for the first time ever created an interactive paper billboard that emits recorded sound in response to a user’s touch.

The innovative paper display, which is yet in prototype phase at this stage, uses touch-sensitive inks and printed speakers that play pre-recorded sounds when touched.

But, this paper display works only with digital paper that is embedded with electronics that sit behind the main image.

Thus, when a user touches the paper, the conductive inks send information to a tiny computer that has the recorded files which are then streamed from the paper speakers.

Mikael Gulliksson, who led the research project said, “When you approach the billboard and put your hand on a postcard that shows a picture of a beach, you can hear a very brief description of that beach.”

At present, the paper displays are very expensive to produce, but the researchers are aiming to find ways of lowering the costs to make the boards easier to change and replace.

The Swedish team envisages that the technology could be used by advertisers. In the future, this ‘talking paper’ technology might even be employed for product packaging.

“One interesting idea would be to use it on cigarette packaging, so instead of having a written message warning you of dangers to your health, you would have a spoken one,” Dr. Gulliksson added.

Well, using this interactive paper for cigarette packets will certainly be effective in the sense that we are sure that many people would not want to be constantly reminded- verbally- of the hazards of smoking, and ultimately they may give up the bad habit altogether!