HP's Tiny Wireless Memory Spot Chip

HP has unveiled a new miniature wireless data chip, developed by HP's “Memory Spot” research team at HP Labs. HP says that the tiny chip "could provide broad access to digital content in the physical world."  As you can see, the chip is tiny, about the size of a grain of rice or smaller (2 mm to 4 mm square) and has a built-in antenna, with a 10 megabits-per-second data transfer rate – 10 times faster than Bluetooth wireless technology and comparable to Wi-Fi speeds.

The wireless Memory Spot Chip has a storage capacity ranging from 256 kilobits to 4 megabits in working prototypes, enough to store a very short video clip, several images or dozens of pages of text. Future versions of the chip could have larger capacities, making them a perfect match for tiny digital devices, and many other uses in the future.

Examples for future use of Memory Spot Chips include:    

* Medical records: Embed a Memory Spot chip into a hospital patient’s wrist band and full medical and drug records can be kept securely available.    

* Audio photo: Attach a chip to the prints of photographs and add music, commentary or ambient sound to enhance the enjoyment of viewing photos.    

* Digital postcards: Send a traditional holiday postcard to family and friends with a chip containing digital pictures of a vacation, plus sounds and even video clips.    

* Document notes: A Memory Spot chip attached to a paper document can include a history of all the corrections and additions made to the text, as well as voice notes and graphical images.    

* Perfect photocopies: A Memory Spot chip attached to a cover sheet eliminates the need to copy the original document. Just read the perfect digital version into the photocopier and the result will be sharp output every time, no matter how many copies are needed, and avoiding any possibility of the originals jamming in the feeder.    

* Security passes: Add a chip to an identity card or security pass for the best of both worlds --- a handy card with secure, relevant digital information included.    

* Anti-counterfeit tags: Counterfeit drugs are a significant problem globally. Memory Spot chips can contain secure information about the manufacture and quality of pharmaceuticals. When added to a drug container, this can prove their authenticity. A similar process could be used to verify high-value engineering and aviation components.

via | BBC News