2017年CRI VR,AR,MR:The new frontier for publishing?

 

 Read by Wang Lei, this is a small batch¹ from the weekly literary program Ink&Quill.

"Classic of Mountains and Seas", or widely known as "Shan Hai Jing"  in Chinese, is an over two millenniums old text that depicts² mythical³ flora⁴ and fauna⁵ in ancient China. 

For centuries, people have had to struggle through the script's obscure language to figure out what those mysterious monsters look like. 

But now, thanks to augmented⁶ reality technology or AR, these fictional⁷ creatures have finally come to life.

Liu Xinyi is the brain behind the picture book "Strange Tales from Classic of Mountains and Seas", which provides illustrations based on descriptions in the original texts. 

Holding her mobile phone in front of a drawing just like playing Pokémon Go, she demonstrates how dynamic animation⁸ superimposes upon the portraits on paper:"We use sound to demonstrate those mythical creatures. The audio guide simplifies the complicated text in 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'. These colourful images are quite appealing to a young crowd."

"Although static pictures are exquisite⁹ enough, the animated¹⁰ effects would definitely help to draw in readership." She further explains why her company applied¹¹ AR technology for their printed publication:"Since all these sound effects are dubbed¹² by famous voice actors, many fans also purchase our book. "

Liu's firm is not the only start-up that ventures into this new domain¹³.

The recently concluded Beijing International Book Fair has witnessed a growing incorporation¹⁴ between reality technologies and publishing. From a 3-D holographic theatre to a goggles-alike VR headset, a specific section was established to showcase the trendiest gadgets¹⁵ in the industry. 

Teng Sheng is the client manager from Tus-Digital World S&T Culture, a Beijing-based VR company. According to him, a great number of products they display during the fair are education-related.

"In terms of collaboration¹⁶ with traditional publishers, there is a tech company called 'Meng Xiang Ren', literarily meaning 'Dreamer' in English. If you buy their books, all you need to do is to bring out your digital device and scan any page you like. The book is just like a disk. You can use your mobile phone or any digital device to read the rich content it contains. Once you scan the page, there will be animated figures telling a story for you. You can interact with them. You can play games. The targeted audiences are mainly young children. "

But the technology is not limited to small screens. 

In a room named mixed reality library or MR library, visitors are asked to don a headset, which may remind you of the sunglasses the comic superhero Cyclops wears, and then stare at the walls to gaze upon imaginary animations¹⁷ or objects. Afterwards, they could navigate¹⁸ at will, even click on those imaginary objects to interact with them. 

Teng further introduces:"What does this mean? It means in the future, you can just wear some glasses to read books. Once you put the glasses on, there will be all kinds of virtual information popping up in front of you. It will feel like magic. Personally I believe that no matter how VR or AR develops, mixed reality would be the future for publishing, since this technology allows you to immerse into the fanciful world without losing touch with reality. "

Audiences are enchanted¹⁹ by the diverse products displayed during the Book Fair. 

"It feels like I am part of that virtual environment. Everything feels real. "

"When I put on the headset, visual-wise it feels like the animated figure and I walk towards each other. I think mixed technology would be very popular if people could deploy²⁰ it to education."

But not everyone is thrilled by the new development, such as Mrs Sun, mother of a four-year-old girl. When asked whether she will buy a book that combines the latest virtual reality and immersive technologies for her daughter, she immediately declines:"I think it's too early for her. After all, she is still a little kid. I think paperback²¹ book is better for her eyesight and cognitive²² capacity. If she spends too much time with those advanced multimedia²³ productions, she might end up playing lots of games and lose interest in reading. It's nothing wrong to let her get a taste of those technologies. But it won't do her any good if she indulges herself into these animations and games. "

But like it or not, this technology is already here and ready to take off. 

By the end of 2016, the State Council of China issued a development plan on emerging industry including virtual reality and other immersive technologies. 

It seems that wearing a headset to read books is no longer a dream. But only time will tell whether this will ultimately revolutionize our reading habits. Let's wait and see. 

1 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

2 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

3 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

4 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

5 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

6 Augmented   

adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• 'scientists won't be replaced," he claims, "but they will be augmented." 他宣称：“科学家不会被取代；相反，他们会被拓展。” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• The impact of the report was augmented by its timing. 由于发表的时间选得好，这篇报导的影响更大了。

7 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

8 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

9 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

10 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

14 incorporation   

n.设立，合并，法人组织

参考例句：

• The incorporation of air bubbles in the glass spoiled it.玻璃含有气泡，使它质量降低。
• The company will be retooled after the incorporation.合并之后的公司要进行重组。

15 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

16 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

17 animations   

n.生气( animation的名词复数 )；兴奋；动画片；（指电影、录像、电脑游戏的）动画制作

参考例句：

• You'll see your team cheerleaders and mascot performing new animations as well. 你会看到啦啦队队长跟吉祥物也都会有全新的动作。 来自互联网
• Ability to create simple movie and animations using graphic & multimedia software. 能够用平面和多媒体软件制作简单的电影及动画。 来自互联网

18 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

19 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

20 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

21 paperback   

n.平装本，简装本

参考例句：

• A paperback edition is now available at bookshops.平装本现在在书店可以买到。
• Many books that are out of print are reissued in paperback form.许多绝版的书籍又以平装本形式重新出现。

22 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

23 multimedia   

adj.多种手段的，多媒体的；n.多媒体

参考例句：

• Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology.多媒体是计算机和视频技术的结合。
• Adam raised the issue of multimedia applications and much useful discussion ensued.亚当提出了多媒体应用的问题，从而引发了许多有益的讨论。