Researchers stack E Ink paper like real paper (video)

Alexander Turcic · 08-09-2013, 07:54 AM

You'd think that in an electronic age, accumulating a stack of paper work is utterly unnecessary, right? Heck no. A group of human computer interaction researchers from Canada have come up with a system dubbed DisplayStacks, which allows you to physically stack a bunch of flexible E Ink displays and make them interact with each other. Still not convinced? Check out the following for a live demonstration.

If you're interested in more details in how this works, you can download the research paper over here (PDF).

banjomike · 08-09-2013, 08:34 AM

Nice. When it comes to cross referencing data on two or more pages proper books win, ebooks nowhere.

magicmonster · 08-17-2013, 11:26 AM

Don't see how theregoing to implement it into something useable.

Teyrnon · 08-18-2013, 12:29 PM

I can think of a few applications where it might be useful. Reference texts that involve a lot of flipping back and forth to use effectively for example.

speakingtohe · 08-18-2013, 07:13 PM

I could see it being useful for a lot of people. Not me perhaps.
If it was fold back design instead of stacking, you could read double paged if you wished, have dictionary lookup, maps etc. appear on a separate page which would be less disruptive to your reading. I'm not into maps but if Iwas having a separate map page I could fold back would be again great.

Or better yet have it in a light frame, where you could pop out the dictionary or map or footnote with the page you are reading unchanged. No exits or back buttons to hit, and you could have the map or other info there as long as you want it.

Helen

Barty · 08-19-2013, 12:16 AM

Or just use one big page instead of little napkin squares? The giant page can be divided into several display areas each showing different content. Yeah, let's call them "windows."

Pismire · 08-19-2013, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

Yeah, let's call them "windows."

was thinking that.

I think communicating devices could be useful when working on several documents at the same time, but when you do not want to flip back and forth/switch windows or tabs. On second thought, maybe that could be achieved as easily as having two individual devices and online access to stored documents.

Either way, these guys got funding for this idea, so someone that has more to do with the field of research than me seems to think it's worth time and cash looking into it.

I cant see myself constantly bending a device though, and would expect some wear and tear.

Namekuseijin · 08-19-2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banjomike

Nice. When it comes to cross referencing data on two or more pages proper books win, ebooks nowhere.

this guy never heard of relational databases running on computers

banjomike · 08-19-2013, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

this guy never heard of relational databases running on computers

You have a relational database running on an ereader. Wow, I am impressed.

MikeB1972 · 08-20-2013, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banjomike

You have a relational database running on an ereader. Wow, I am impressed.

You probably do as well, I'm not entirely sure how the nook stores it's tags and shelves but it is most likely a relational database (Kobo's use SQL-Lite)

banjomike · 08-20-2013, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

You probably do as well, I'm not entirely sure how the nook stores it's tags and shelves but it is most likely a relational database (Kobo's use SQL-Lite)

Yes, but the point I was making in my first post was that with a paper book it is easy to refer to several pages at the same time or flip between them. On ebooks that is hard work.

I'm not sure that nooks bother with tags and the shelving isn't very flexible. Compared to my Sony the organisational ability of the nook is downright primitive.

MikeB1972 · 08-20-2013, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banjomike

Yes, but the point I was making in my first post was that with a paper book it is easy to refer to several pages at the same time or flip between them. On ebooks that is hard work.

I'm not sure that nooks bother with tags and the shelving isn't very flexible. Compared to my Sony the organisational ability of the nook is downright primitive.

It's just a software matter to flick between pages though, if you could access bookmarks like open tabs in an internet browser it would be very easy to flip between them. You would, of course, lose some screen real estate while you had the "Bookmark flipping" option open but it would be handy to have it as an option instead of x number of taps to get to a bookmark.

08-09-2013, 07:54 AM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,171 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Researchers stack E Ink paper like real paper (video) You'd think that in an electronic age, accumulating a stack of paper work is utterly unnecessary, right? Heck no. A group of human computer interaction researchers from Canada have come up with a system dubbed DisplayStacks, which allows you to physically stack a bunch of flexible E Ink displays and make them interact with each other. Still not convinced? Check out the following for a live demonstration. If you're interested in more details in how this works, you can download the research paper over here (PDF).

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08-09-2013, 08:34 AM	#2
banjomike Addict Posts: 319 Karma: 397404 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: UK Device: PRS-505,DSlibris,nook Glow & HD+,Tab S2,Moon+,Clara,Clara Colour	Nice. When it comes to cross referencing data on two or more pages proper books win, ebooks nowhere.

08-17-2013, 11:26 AM	#3
magicmonster Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 1033664 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kindle 3, Nook Color, & Dell Axim X50v	Don't see how theregoing to implement it into something useable.

08-18-2013, 12:29 PM	#4
Teyrnon Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 384 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Eastern United States Device: jetBook, Kindle DX, Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Nook Simple Touch	I can think of a few applications where it might be useful. Reference texts that involve a lot of flipping back and forth to use effectively for example.

08-18-2013, 07:13 PM	#5
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	I could see it being useful for a lot of people. Not me perhaps. If it was fold back design instead of stacking, you could read double paged if you wished, have dictionary lookup, maps etc. appear on a separate page which would be less disruptive to your reading. I'm not into maps but if Iwas having a separate map page I could fold back would be again great. Or better yet have it in a light frame, where you could pop out the dictionary or map or footnote with the page you are reading unchanged. No exits or back buttons to hit, and you could have the map or other info there as long as you want it. Helen

08-19-2013, 12:16 AM	#6
Barty doofus Posts: 2,543 Karma: 13088847 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Or just use one big page instead of little napkin squares? The giant page can be divided into several display areas each showing different content. Yeah, let's call them "windows."