Google TechTalks
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30:41 · 408K views · Nov 12, 2012
Google engineer Dany Qumsiyeh presents a prototype automatic, non-destructive book scanner that turns pages and captures high-resolution images, built in Google's workshops. The talk includes a live demo and a short technical overview.
HN cites it as the example of Google's open-sourced linear book scanner design when discussing book digitization.
4 comments from Hacker News
Found a video of one of their prototype scanners. IIRC they looked at like every scanning solution available and also got a bunch of universities and libraries to help them purchase and operate scanning equipment. Pretty cool stuff. [LINK] edit: Next vid looks good too. In depth on different scanners. this video
Generally: unbinding the leaves of a book so that they can be more easily handled by a scanner, often including an automated feeder. The simplest method is to simply cut off the binding (a powered paper cutter can do this in an instant). The alternative is nondestructive scanning, where the binding and publication as a whole remain intact. This is typically performed using flatbed scanners, angled scanners (the book is either face up or face down on a scanning bed which typically forms a ~90 degree angle), automated feeders which incorporate page turning (via numerous methods), or face-up scanning with digital deconvolution of page distortions. Higher speed presents higher risks of both poor / missed scans, and damaging original materials. Methods should be tuned to the materials, their intrinsic value and/or uniqueness, and end goals. See: [LINK] There are numerous book-scanning projects with YouTube videos of their methods. Typical rates range from ~300 -- 3,000 pages/hour, with 1,000 pp/hr being a good middling rate. DIY 1,000 pp/h [LINK] [LINK] Commercial, manual page turning: [LINK] 3,000 pp/h vacuum page turning [LINK] ... capable of managing very thick volumes: [LINK] Google fully automated linear scanbot: this video Face-up, no-platten, with deconvolution: [LINK]
Interesting. I had been led to believe that Google used a linear book scanner towards the end of the big Google Books library scanning project. It looks like this may have been an internal prototype that wasn't necessarily used for large-scale scanning opert this video [LINK] [LINK] [LINK]
Google developed a system called the "cheese grater" and open-sourced the plans / design: this video [LINK] [LINK] [LINK]