I wrote recently (at http://tinyurl.com/2pvdap) about the Kirtas APT BookScan 2400 book scanner. I watched one of these $120,000 units in operation at the recent American Library Association annual conference. However, my checkbook was a bit short of $120,000, so I did not pick one up to take home.
Now, after searching the web, I found that Muranushi Takayuki faced a similar problem but came up with an innovative solution: he built his own out of Lego blocks, two electric motors, 2 kite strings, and a five-yen coin used for weight. (A five-yen coin has a hole in the center, which makes it useful for many purposes.) He also modified an Epson desktop scanner for this purpose, turning it upside down.
Mr. Takayuki does not mention his final cost, but I bet it is a lot less than the $120,000 purchase price of a Kirtas APT BookScan 2400 book scanner!
You can read more at http://www.geocities.jp/takascience/lego/fabs_en.html
