An articulated arm

This articulated arm is used to hold a book above a lazy reader's eyes. The book is attached horizontally, text downwards.

Bed is a very uncomfortable place to read for a long time. Your arms get tired, your legs stiff and eventually, you stop reading because your muscles and your joints decide so. As reading is an intellectual activity, not a manual one, you must free your hands. The book must be hanged above the reader without your arms holding it.

Only eyes stick out

Practically, only your eyes stick out of the blanket. Your arms only need to get out to turn pages. As your body lies in a comfortable position, you do not stop reading anymore because of your joints that hurt but because you stop concentrating. That way you can read longer.

To profitabilize the time to fall asleep

This exercise is particularly recommended for people who spend a long time to fall asleep or for those who suffer from insomnia. The livroscope helps you falling asleep by leaving the body in a comfortable position.

Reduce eyestrain

The distance between eyes and text is usually 30 to 40 cm (12 to  16"). Increasing this distance reduces eye focussing effort. With a normal eyesight, nothing forbids you to read further except the length of your arms. The livroscope enables you to hold the book more than 60 cm away (2'), and even 1 m (40"), ie twice the usual distance.

Assembly

Adapt dimensions of the book holding plate to the documents you wish to read (pocket books, binders...).

Use carpenter's glue drying in 24 hours. Apply glue on both faces. Follow manufacturer's instructions.

Press parts with clamps. Hold them when tightenning clamps to prevent them from moving.

Drill holes after arm assembly.

Depending on what documents you read, the tension of bungees needs to be adapted. Attach clamps where bungees would be hooked. Install bungees and check that their tension and position is adapted to your heaviest documents. Fold bungees 3 or 4 times to get a tension adapted to the length available. Bungees tend to loosen with time. Balance does not need to be perfect, you can tighten butterfly nuts to make up for imbalance. Better stretch bungees too much and add weight to the livroscope for light books.

To attach a book, use strong clamps yet easy to release.

Athena: http://un2sg4.unige.ch/athena/html/athome.html

CARRIE: http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/carrie/stacks/stacks_main.html

ABU: http://abu.cnam.fr/BIB/auteurs/

Bibliothèque Nationale de France: http://www.bnf.fr/web-bnf/liens/index.htm