Interactive Book Covers using Augmented Reality: A New Paradigm in Reader Engagement

Augmented Reality (AR) interactive book covers provide a new way to increase reader involvement by combining printed material with digital interactive content. In this regard, an AR-based interactive book cover for The Blue Umbrella has been developed using Vuforia for real-time image recognition, Unity for rendering 3D components, and Mixamo for animating character interactions. One book cover image was utilized as the primary dataset, which was registered as an Image Target in Vuforia and associated with eight animated AR scenes, each approximately 15 seconds long. These scenes, activated by scanning the book cover, visually retell the story's key points and are augmented with gesture-controlled interactions such as zoom and rotation. Findings from user testing indicate strong levels of engagement, enhanced understanding, and affective commitment, especially among younger users who are familiar with digital media. The system performed well in terms of smoothness, tracking accuracy, and ease of integrating physical and digital content. This study confirms the potential of AR-augmented book covers as educational and narrative tools, as well as their suitability for language-based, collaborative, and personalized applications. With ongoing improvements in AR technology, these innovations are likely to revolutionize the way people read books, making reading an engaging and interactive process.