Developed by the “Memory Spot” research team at HP Labs, the experimental chip is a memory device based on CMOS (a widely used, low-power integrated circuit design) and about the size of a grain of rice or smaller (2 mm to 4 mm square), with a built-in antenna.
The chip could be embedded in a sheet of paper or stuck to any surface, and could eventually be available in a booklet as self-adhesive dots.
HP vice president and associate director, HP Labs, Howard Taub says they are actively exploring a range of new applications for the Memory Spot chips which could have a significant impact on consumer businesses, from printing to imaging.
With a storage capacity ranging from 256 kilobits to 4 megabits in working prototypes, it could store a very short video clip, several images or dozens of pages of text. Future versions could have larger capacities.
The chip currently has a 10 megabits-per-second data transfer rate – 10 times faster than BluetoothT wireless technology and comparable to Wi-Fi speeds – effectively giving users instant retrieval of information in audio, video, photo or document form.
Some of the applications being explored is the possibility of supplying additional information for printed documents. In document notes, for instance, the chip could include a history of all the corrections and additions made to the text, as well as voice notes and graphical images.
Adding a chip to security passes or identity cards would reveal all relevant digital
information.
In photocopying, HP says the chip could contain the perfect digital version which could be fed into the photocopier, resulting in a sharp output for multiple copies at the same time avoiding the possibility of the originals jamming in the feeder.
Other applications could include anti-counterfeit tags containing secure information about a range of goods including pharmaceuticals.
