You mean we don’t have to read any more?

Well, maybe not, but researchers from Mid Sweden University have created an interactive paper billboard that emits a recorded sound when touched. Parts of the page are sensitive to touch and sound is emitted from printed speakers (which are printed with conductive inks). This obviously has potentially huge ramifications for advertisers and product packaging. The projects leader, Mikael Gulliksson, said, “When you approach the billboard and put your hand on a postcard that shows a picture of a beach, you can hear a very brief description of that beach.”

The same goes for product packaging. Image picking up a box in a store and hearing about the product within. I can’t decide if that would be amazing or annoying. And, what about reading?