Nosy AI reads a 300-year-old sealed letter — without opening it
The technique could also virtually open historical books and scrolls
Picking the letter locks
The team first scanned the folded documents with X-ray imagining equipment that was designed for use in dentistry.
Computational flattening algorithms were then applied to the scans. This generated 2D and 3D reconstructions of the letters in both folded and flat states. It also produced images of the writing surfaces and crease patterns in the documents.
The technique exposed the entire contents of a letter dated July 31, 1697.
It was sent by a legal professional called Jacques Sennacques to his cousin Pierre Le Pers, a French merchant living in The Hague.
The letter bears the mark “10” in red crayon on the address panel, indicating how much the recipient would have needed to pay for it. The address and price suggest the document was sent from Lille.
Inside the unfolded letterpack, Sennacques asks his cousin — with some urgency — for the death certificate of another relative:
The missive was taken from a European postmaster’s trunk of 300-year-old undelivered post, known asthe Brienne Collection
“We could simply have cut these letters open, but instead we took the time to study them for their hidden, secret, and inaccessible qualities,” said Daniel Starza Smith, lecturer in early modern English literature at King’s College London “We’ve learned that letters can be a lot more revealing when they are left unopened.”
The researchers say their technique could also virtually open a range of other historical texts, such as scrolls and books.
Sennacques’ letter alone own may not expose radical insights about the 17th century. But analyzed alongside other documents, it could broaden our understanding of the culture, politics, and people of early modern Europe.
You can read the study paper and view the unfolded letter in the journalNature Communications.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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