Media Storage System
Engineers at NTT in Japan recently introduced a possible new media storage alternative to CDs and DVDs called Info-MICA – transparent cards that can hold a full gigabyte of data on a piece of plastic the size of a postage stamp.
Using a process called thin-film holography, data is converted into holographic images that are etched into the card by lasers. The plastic used in production can be imprinted in large sheets and cut into individual cards, making them inexpensive to produce, but difficult to duplicate.
The drives that read the Info-MICA cards use a pulsed laser rather that one that is always on, and the cards don’t spin like CDs and DVDs. This greatly reduces power consumption and makes the Info-MICA system ideal for battery-powered, mobile devices. And last, but not least, the cards are totally recyclable.
Initially, the new cards will be used to replace ROM chips, but eventually NTT plans to increase the memory capacity to 10 GB – enough to store a full-length movie. The fact that the cards can be recycled also makes them ideal candidates for electronic newsreaders.
For information: Hideki Sakamoto, NTT DoCoMo, Inc., 11-1 Nagata-cho 2 chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6150, Japan; phone: +81-3-5156-1111 Web site: www.nttdocomo.com
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Daniel Burrus, one of the world's leading technology forecasters, business strategists, and author of six books
Copyright 2004 Author retains copyright. All Rights Reserved.
