The Page Flipper has been designed to help flip pages of any book, one at a time in both directions without the use of hands. It works with books of any paper quality or size and once preset, it can be activated either using a pair of foot switches or voice recognition(This version is yet to be released).
Two pairs of carefully designed links whose motions are actuated by servo motors, perform the following three important functions:
1) Lifting the page
2) Turning the page
3) Clamping the page
Vacuum suction is used to suck the pages one by one. The flow-rate can be controlled hence allowing lifting of multiple pages. In another version, adhesive tape is used to lift pages. Sticky tape however, doesn't work reliably with all kinds of textures.
The Page Flipper has an inbuilt mechanism to check the height of the books. This allows the links to stop at an appropriate height during the clamping operation even if the book height on both sides is different.
The compact design can be folded into a suitcase without requiring any dis-assembly and easily carried. A space to store books is also provided.
Two pairs of carefully designed links whose motions are actuated by servo motors, perform the following three important functions:
1) Lifting the page
2) Turning the page
3) Clamping the page
Vacuum suction is used to suck the pages one by one. The flow-rate can be controlled hence allowing lifting of multiple pages. In another version, adhesive tape is used to lift pages. Sticky tape however, doesn't work reliably with all kinds of textures.
The Page Flipper has an inbuilt mechanism to check the height of the books. This allows the links to stop at an appropriate height during the clamping operation even if the book height on both sides is different.
The compact design can be folded into a suitcase without requiring any dis-assembly and easily carried. A space to store books is also provided.
Why not an e-book reader?
A lots of people wonder as to why should a product be designed to flip pages of physical book, when there exist e-books and e-book reader:
1) E-books can never offer the feel of reading from real books. Lots of people still prefer reading from physical books. the following are some interesting links to impress upon the same
http://bookstove.com/book-talk/why-i-would-never-buy-an-e-book/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/amid_e-book_growth_students_still_prefer_paper_tex.php
http://www.caribousmom.com/2011/01/07/e-books-are-we-losing-something-essential/
http://52books.blogspot.com/2006/07/physical-books-vs-e-books.html
3) Enabling the differently-abled to read from a physical book would be a real morale booster.
4) Musicians in fact go to the extent of hiring a person just to flip pages while they perform.The following are some interesting links to support the same
http://www.pianonoise.com/Article.Page-Turning.htm
http://collaborativepiano.blogspot.com/2010/06/liz-parker-on-page-turning.html
5) Not all literature is available in the form of E-book. The Page Flipper can in fact help here by automatically scanning the pages of the books and converting them to digital format.
1) E-books can never offer the feel of reading from real books. Lots of people still prefer reading from physical books. the following are some interesting links to impress upon the same
http://bookstove.com/book-talk/why-i-would-never-buy-an-e-book/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/amid_e-book_growth_students_still_prefer_paper_tex.php
http://www.caribousmom.com/2011/01/07/e-books-are-we-losing-something-essential/
http://52books.blogspot.com/2006/07/physical-books-vs-e-books.html
3) Enabling the differently-abled to read from a physical book would be a real morale booster.
4) Musicians in fact go to the extent of hiring a person just to flip pages while they perform.The following are some interesting links to support the same
http://www.pianonoise.com/Article.Page-Turning.htm
http://collaborativepiano.blogspot.com/2010/06/liz-parker-on-page-turning.html
5) Not all literature is available in the form of E-book. The Page Flipper can in fact help here by automatically scanning the pages of the books and converting them to digital format.