Unique newspapers, ancient church books, and rare family archives can now be safely transferred to digital format right at your desktop. Students of Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) have developed an affordable hardware and software package for careful and rapid digitization of printed heritage without the risk of damaging the originals. The work was carried out within the framework of the discipline "Fundamentals of project activity".
"When developing the complex, we focused on the needs of the main audience of libraries, archives, scientific organizations and research teams and a limited budget. This approach has made it possible to abandon expensive and not always reliable book positioning mechanisms in favor of modern image processing algorithms, while maintaining the necessary functionality and significantly reducing the cost of the system compared to a number of foreign solutions, which, according to our estimates, cost 10-20 times more. At the same time, the development solves the main task — high—quality and fast digitization at a speed of up to 1,000 pages per hour while maintaining an optical resolution of up to 600 DPI," said Timofey Polyakevich, the author of the idea and project leader, a student at the Faculty of Automation and Computer Engineering.
The contactless method completely eliminates the risk of tearing or scratching fragile, rare and dilapidated documents. Each page is scrolled automatically using a special capture device. The system carefully holds the sheet, and the developed mathematical model builds a three-dimensional grid of the curved spread of the book and virtually "smooths" it. There is no need to press the book with heavy glass, as in some scanners, and the output is an easy-to-read electronic document.
Operating the scanner does not require any special technical training. The operator's task is to place the book on a safe V—shaped platform, check the positioning of the cameras relative to the book and what the final picture looks like. Next, the "start automatic scanning" button is pressed. The scanning process does not require constant operator involvement. After the automation is completed, you need to view the scanned document and, if necessary, perform color correction — this functionality is also provided. The scanning complex is compact, which allows you to place it even on a regular desktop without allocating a separate room.
"Old documents are sensitive to light — they can deteriorate and fade under ordinary lamps. Our device uses a specialized page illumination system with a minimum level of infrared and ultraviolet radiation, which is crucial for the safety of paper and ink. At the same time, we use certified LED modules with a high color rendering index. This allows you to get the most accurate and natural colors on the scans, indistinguishable from the original," Timofey Polyakevich notes the advantages of the development.
Simplified in design and management, the automatic contactless scanning system will allow regional libraries and research institutes to digitize materials independently and safely, saving time and budget, the developer emphasizes. The complex has already been tested by several libraries in the Zheleznodorozhny district and employees of Novosibirsk State Medical University and the developers have received feedback. According to the test results, users positively assessed the convenience of book placement and the high level of automation of the scanning process, separately highlighting the presence of a built-in full-text recognition function. The comments and suggestions received during the tests are taken into account when further refining the system.
At the current stage, the software part is 90% complete. It is planned to refine the visual component of the interface for user convenience and further test the developed complex by interested organizations. The team is open to cooperation with investors, socially oriented NGOs, library networks and educational institutions to launch production and expand the geography of pilot testing.
The project team:
Timofey Polyakevich is a student at the Faculty of Automation and Computer Engineering, the author of the idea, chief software Engineer, project manager;
Marina Molodykh, Faculty of Radio Engineering and Electronics, and Veronika Isaeva, Faculty of Business, are responsible for developing UI/UX software design and optimizing user experience;
Artyom Viktorov, Faculty of Mechanics and Technology, and Igor Liu-zaisan, Faculty of Radio Engineering and Electronics, participated in the initial stages of development: they conducted technological research and created the first virtual prototypes of the device.
Consultants:
Evgeniya Dragunova, Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Informatics at NSTU-NETI, is a business consultant who helped in the development of the project and its promotion within the university;
Elena Ovchinnikova, Associate Professor of the Department of Algebra and Mathematical Logic at NSTU-NETI, advised on the development of a two—dimensional mathematical model for the geometry correction module.
At the NSTU-NETI Student Project competition, the team took 1st place in the Engineering Projects nomination (Junior league).