Google Patents Technology That Outfits Books With Sensors, AR for 'Interactive Books'

Technology that would bring the experience of reading a book into the 21st century — and not by replacing the book with a computer — was patented today by Google, according to filings posted today at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The technology outfits a physical book with numerous page sensors, touch sensors, and motion sensors to understand the reader's movements. Based on those movements and the storyline of the book, the system adds augmented reality elements over the pages. Google calls the invention, simply, the "Storytelling Device," or "Interactive Book."