Since they arrived on the market in 1993, electronic books have brought many advantages to the reader, although they also have some drawbacks.

The biggest advantage these devices have over other electronic devices such as tablets, laptops or mobile phones is that they use electronic ink technology and do not have a backlight. In addition, they take up little space, are portable, fit into the reader's view and always have edits available.

However, long-time book lovers often miss the feel of paper when using this type of device, and report that their eyes get more tired when reading.

The A-book comes to fill those gaps

These problems can have a simple solution: an enlarged book or so-called a-book. It is a new project developed by a group of researchers from the University of Surrey under the name Next Generation Paper (NGP).

Thanks to this hybrid modality, the reader consumes information on the printed page and on the screen side by side. In this way, the reader is able to better understand the written subject, without losing the experience of reading a paper book.

Features of enlarged books

Today, there are multiple electronic solutions, including e-readers and smart devices. However, a solution is not yet sustainable on a commercial scale.

Energy efficiency and pre-printed conductive paper are some of the new features that now allow the University of Surrey's enhanced books to be manufactured on a semi-industrial scale.

The new A-books have no visible cables for the reader, allowing users to activate digital content with a simple gesture (such as swiping or turning the page), which is then displayed on a nearby device.

As George Bairaktaris, a researcher at the University of Surrey and the Next Generation Paper team, confirmed, this improved 3G model allows augmented books to be used in a variety of areas, such as education.

Also, the new hybrid model makes the reader less annoying. And it has the ability to automatically recognize when you open the page and activate the multimedia content.

"What started as an enlarged book project has further evolved into scalable user interfaces. The project's techniques and vision led us to explore organic materials and printing techniques to fabricate scalable sensors for interfaces beyond the book," he says.