Textbook Research On-Demand in a Compact Device

I love my Kindle and haven’t read a physical book in years. One of the best features is the ability to select a word and see a dictionary definition or Wikipedia entry. This DIY “reading lamp” brings similar functionality to paper, which is perfect for students studying using textbooks.

Jmsczl refers to this device as an “AI-enabled reading lamp” and it does provide illumination. But its best features have nothing to do with reading in the dark.

The “lamp” is actually a book scanner with a camera that looks down at the page. If the user points at a word with a special stylus, the device will snap a pic. The user can then provide a voice command, like “look up the definition.” The photo and command then go to OpenAI, which analyzes them and returns a result.

It is like that Kindle feature, but it works with printed text. And it allows for back-and-forth conversations with ChatGPT, so the user can dive into the topics to get more information.

Jmsczl doesn’t provide many technical details, except that the components include a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, a touchscreen, a microphone, and an off-the-shelf book scanner.

This isn’t currently a project that you can easily replicate, as Jmsczl hasn’t posted any code or instructions. But the idea is pretty nifty and a device like this seems useful for those who have to rely on textbooks.