Ron Schenone

Google Using Infrared To Scan The Books Of The World

Posted by on May 3, 2009 | 2 Comments

Google has found that traditional scanning of books using software is very slow. So they have patented technology which they hope will increase the speed in which books are scanned for online viewing. The process involves infrared technology to scan the pages at a quicker pace. According to an article NewScientist Tech which states the following information:

However, last week Google was granted a patent (US 7508978) on an answer to this problem. Its trick is to project an infrared pattern onto the open page spread. This lets a pair of infrared cameras map the three-dimensional shape of the pages by detecting distortion to the pattern. This in turn allows the distortion of the text to be determined – and therefore the degree of correction needed to read it accurately.

For any of us who have struggled with software recognition software we can understand the problem that Google was facing. Their new technology should make the process quicker.

Comments welcome.

NewScientisit Tech article.

Google Patent Sketch.

  • Ryan Farmer

    Don’t worry, I’m sure that it won’t take long for the book publishing industry to band together and sue Google for saving trees.

    Our entire legal framework, patents copyrights and all, is so bent up, distorted, and skewed from the original purpose of having them it’s not funny. How long til people get tired of letting “content owners” like the RIAA/MPAA (mafiAA) and Microsoft and Apple write all the laws they can buy? How long before the Damnable Malicious Copyright Act is repealed?

    The reason I’m saying this is because this is a great new idea and I’m sure some of these organizations are just crapping themselves over the idea.

  • mhz

    Technology wise, it sounds awesome.

    Personally, I think it would be awesome if all the books in the world got digitized, and then the text readers were improved to the point where I could get any book I wanted to listen to on my MP3 player to play while driving.

    Plus they would probably be made searchable, which would be incredible.