Print may seem like a declining medium, but Novalia is trying to preserve the paper form by turning formerly static objects into usable interfaces.
Novalia comprises a team of seven scientists, programmers and designers from the UK -- all of whom are interested in turning paper into an interactive platform.
Their first venture into this territory is an interactive drum kit poster. Able to produce up to seven different sounds, the team says you could play along to your favorite songs, or add your own beats to existing ones. Using printed touch technology, you could have easy access to a seven-piece drum kit -- no sticks necessary.
It works using touch sensors printed with electrically conductive ink, to which a simple circuit board is attached. The poster then recognizes when a graphic has been touched, in much the same way as the touchscreen on a smart device recognizes your fingers.
Image: Novalia/Kickstarter
Two versions of the poster are being developed, one that will connect to your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth, playing the drum sounds wirelessly, and a standalone version that transforms the poster's surface into a speaker.
Made of mainly paper, card and ink, the company says that recycling would also be easy -- especially as the electronics module is separable from the poster.
In a world where paper and monitors are often seen as mutually exclusive, Novalia wants to show people that there can be a connection between the two.
The team is currently running a Kickstarter campaign that, if successful, would make production more cost-effective than their current hand-assembly method. You can back them here.