This projector concept frees sticky notes from physical limits

Ever since their invention, sticky notes have almost replaced 3×5 index cards as the analog tool of choice for taking quick notes, putting reminders everywhere, and trying to make sense of a sea of notes scattered on a wall or floor. As part of the age-old battle between analog and digital, sticky notes have become one of the preferred media for pen and paper users, but it naturally carries the limitations that fellow physical tools bring with them. And like notebooks and even index cards, there are numerous attempts at bringing sticky notes into the digital realm, each with its own drawbacks. With a twist, one concept attempts to bridge the gap between virtual and physical with an approach that addresses those shortcomings. This is especially important when you need to make your sticky notes more cohesive.

Designer Kyeongmin Kim

There is no shortage of tools that try to mimic the look and workflow of sticky notes, offering a nearly infinite supply of notes and the conveniences of computers and the cloud. There are many note-taking tools, however, the design and mentality behind square, small notes can be quite different from digital notebooks. You are forced to write more quickly and efficiently due to the limited space. Sometimes you need to filter and process your thoughts before you even touch paper.

Digital sticky note have similar psychological effects, but you also have the option to reverse what you’ve done, back up your notes or combine different types of digital objects into one note like reminders, links, and so on. These implementations come with the unfortunate downside that you are limited in how many notes you can spread around and organize as you wish. Unlike physical notes that can cover as much floor or wall space as you can afford, digital notes are practically confined to the size of your screen. Sure, you could have an infinite canvas, something that’s not possible in the physical world, but the amount of notes you will be able to see at a time is still limited to how many you can fit on a computer monitor.

The Memojector concept tries to remove those limitations while offering an experience that is actually closer to physical sticky notes. Although the device is slightly thicker and wider than the typical square note, its screen is nearly the same. The note can be used to write or draw as you would with a paper note. You also have the option of flipping the page to create a blank note. This is like having endless sticky notes within a small device.

What sets this device apart, however, is the built-in projector. This would allow people to use a wall like in the old days while still keeping the benefits of digital notes. An ideal implementation would use gesture detection so that users can move notes around on the wall rather than using the projector’s touch screen as an interface. This is a fantastic way to easily share notes in meetings with other people without the need to use sticky notes on a whiteboard.