The Covar: Augmented book cover
A unique augmented reading experience where digital enriches the paper edition without replacing it. Can be used hands-free with the tablet in the background, complementing the book.
Benefits
- A unique augmented reading experience
- A non-electronic device, simple to install and use
- The book is in the foreground with the tablet complementing the book
- Digital immersion in the book, hands-free
- A platform to easily create the app to accompany the book
- An internationally patented solution
Issue
Augmented reading is a new idea which will enable the book industry to profit from digital by bringing added value to paper editions.
For the last 4 years, our company has been exploring augmented reading and has developed a solution to produce the best possible reading experience.
We have carried out research on the following:
- Paper and digital existing alongside each other; using digital to complement paper editions, and vice versa
- Putting the book in front and positioning the tablet behind it to complement the book
- Offering a hands-free augmented reading experience. The reader doesn’t need to hold a tablet between their hands and read through it.
Existing solutions for augmented reading:
- Books with QR codes: these offer a digital reading experience, but interrupt the reading flow and are slightly impractical.
- Standard augmented books: the device is held in front of the book by the reader. The book is read through the screen. The paper book is often nothing more than a pretext in this instance.
Our studies showed there was no intelligent augmented reading solution that put the book in the foreground and created an immersive, hands-free reading experience.
Solution
"The Covar" transforms the threat from digital into an opportunity for paper books.
The principle is simple, the reader opens the book cover and folds it into a support to hold the tablet. A frame equipped with a mirror is then put in position and the book app is launched. As the reader reads, the device automatically recognizes the pages and displays content to enrich the reading experience: images, videos, sounds, voices, interactive games, etc.
"The Covar" is an augmented book cover that enables a tablet to be used as a third, interactive book page. The user has their hands free to turn the pages and interact with the immersive content. The tablet remains in the background and the book remains in front. The device is simple, affordable, non-electronic and easy to install and use.
In addition to the innovation of the cover, "The Covar" also provides a platform for authors and editors to integrate digital content themselves (illustrations, videos, sounds, animations), with a turnkey solution for configuring interaction and app publishing.
"The Covar" doesn’t require any access to an app development company to create an interactive app.