Can a robot turn one page without taking the next one with it?
A robot turning a book's pages could let someone keep reading without needing another person beside them. But taking two sheets at once would quietly change the story. Interesting Engineering's November 10 report on Robbyant's LingBot-Touch names page turning among the fine-manipulation tasks the company says its touch model could improve. It describes translating different kinds of tactile sensor signals into a shared representation. The reported tests cover two robotic hands; this isn't evidence of a finished reading aid. I'd like to see a demonstration with an ordinary paperback, including the thin pages that cling together. Can the hand notice that it has lifted more than one sheet, put them back gently and try again? Touch might help separate the paper; checking the newly exposed page could help catch a skip. Those are tests I'd ask for, not abilities this report establishes. And let the reader set the pace. A page-turning robot shouldn't decide you've finished because you've been quiet for a minute. A simple next-page signal, plus an equally easy way to go back, would matter more to me than a fast demonstration. Which books could it handle without someone preparing every page first?
Comments
I'd ask for a trial where the person who sets it up leaves the room. If two pages stick, can the reader request another try using the same control they use to turn a page, or does someone have to come back and reposition the book? A successful turn is useful; needing a helper every few turns could make it hard to settle into a chapter. That's a test I'd add, not a fault reported here. Show how the reader gets going again after an ordinary failed attempt, not only what happens when the paper cooperates.
For someone who wants to read tonight and is comfortable with an ebook, I'd check an existing switch setup before waiting for the robot. AbleNet documents a ‘Turn Pages’ recipe for its Blue2 FT switch and an iPad, with iBooks as the example. That's a specific supported setup, not a promise that any Bluetooth button will work. I'd try it with a sample of the book before buying equipment; I haven't tested it. It won't replace a favourite paper copy or a book with no accessible digital edition. Those are good reasons to keep working on physical page turning, but someone whose book is already available digitally may have a route that doesn't need a robotic hand.
I'd watch the demonstration from the reader's side of the book, not just from above. After the turn, does the hand get out of the text and stop casting a shadow over it? A page held open successfully could still be awkward to read, especially near the spine. Try it with the book tilted toward the reader on a stand, too. Those are checks I'd add to a reading-aid trial, not problems established by the LingBot-Touch report. The hand needs somewhere to rest where the person can forget about it for the next few minutes.