3D Technology Coming to Books

Remember how much fun we had playing with pop-up books as children? These types of books were reading materials that made reading fun. Pop-up books are still around today, but are not as popular due to the advancements in technology. Children are learning on computer devices more than ever and forgetting books. South Korean scientists are about to return children back to books through incorporating 3D technology to create a unique reading experience.

The excitement we experienced when a dinosaur would leap off a page at us was amazing. Imagine having that same dinosaur leap off the page of your book at you. This is what 3D technology is all about and why it is growing in popularity. The South Korea Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology believe 3D technology can be a powerful learning tool just like pop-up books once were. In order to sell people on this they had to create 3D books, something that they just have.

This is possible because the pictures in the books have special cues. These cues will trigger the incorporated 3D animation to begin. Readers of the book will be wearing something described as computer-screen goggles. These goggles are what will bring the 3D to life. As the reader tilts the book from side to side, so will the 3D image move back and forth for a better visual experience.

Gaming giant Nintendo has developed similar technology in their upcoming Nintendo 3DS. This technology will be much cheaper to produce and could bring children back to books. The only negative is that it will take a bit more time to work out the kinks associated with incorporating the technology into the books. You don't want to have the 3D animations going off at random and ruining your reading experience.

Since 3D technology is the next big thing it was only a matter of time before someone decided to incorporate it into reading a book. Children do not need to be owning and using Kindle-like devices or using computers to learn. This will teach them how to read the way they should learn how to read while being entertained with powerful technology at the same time. Learning can appear to be cool and fun once again.

Sources:

(1) Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62N0TR20100324?type=technologyNews?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+reuters/technologyNews+%28News+/+US+/+Technology%29, 2010