Concept maps, a learning tool created in the 1970s, use diagrams to illustrate how a topic is related to other subjects. Joseph Novak, professor emeritus of education and biology, and his colleagues at Cornell University developed concept mapping to help researchers explain huge amounts of information in an effective format. The project led to the pageless browser software, which allows users to easily create concept maps, alter the information, and add links to other resources. Geoffrey Briggs of NASA's Ames Research Center used the software to create an online concept map of Mars.
Users can open new maps by clicking on different concept box icons.
The researchers offer the software for free to nonprofit users. The electronic paper consists of plastic sheets between which globules of black ink and chips of white paint reside. Electrical charges then determine whether black or white appears, which allows the page's appearance to change. By reflecting natural light rather than generating its own, E Ink's prototype is not difficult to read, even in bright sunshine. E Ink is just one of several companies developing electronic paper.