South Korean Researchers Create Pop-up Books in 3D

Pop-up books have been around in various forms for hundreds of years, but the version created by South Korea’s Gwangju Institute is a computer-animated feast for the eyes.

With the aid of specialized goggles attached to a computer, the actors can break out of their two-dimensional confinement to do battle in 3-D.

The illustrations in the book are embedded with cues that communicate with a sensor in the goggles that bring the characters to life.

The Institute’s Sang-Cheol is the project leader.

[Kim Sang-Cheol, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology]:
“We applied paper book’s sensorial aspect that they are touchable. And then we absorbed strengths that digital books have, such as diversification of content, and easy access to animated pictures by just connecting to the computer.”

The team has animated two Korean children's books but says the technology could also be applied in other ways to display images on smart phones for example, or enhance museum exhibits.

Kim says he hopes it won't be too long before the books become commercially available, so readers of all ages can fully appreciate stories that really do leap of the page.