Storing information with holograms and in glass is being proposed to deal with a deluge of data.
In a former wallpaper factory in Chiswick, west London, a start-up firm has been developing a long-term storage system that uses lasers to burn tiny holograms into a light-sensitive polymer.
Chief executive Charlie Gale points out that with magnetic tape, data can only be stored on the surface, whereas holograms can store data in multiple layers.
“You can do things called multiplexing, whereby you can layer multiple sets of information in one space. That’s really kind of the superpower of what we’re doing. And we believe we can put more information in less space than ever before,” he says.
HoloMem’s polymer blocks can handle extreme temperatures, without the data becoming corrupted - between -14C to 160C.
By comparison, magnetic tape needs to be kept between 16C and 25C, which means significant heating and cooling costs, particularly in countries with extreme temperatures.
Tape also needs replacing after around 15 years, whereas the polymer is good for at least 50 years.
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Can’t wait to replace my USB thumb drives with crystals.
Babylon 5 enters the chat
I’ll have to buy the White Album again…
Same … but these are polymers.
Using the same principals of data storage on/in a large “single crystal” could offer way more longevity.
I can’t wait to see what a crystal hologram reader is gonna cost. :-p
I can’t wait until holographic storage comes in spheres, and you have to bring it to an old Gypsy woman if you forget the encryption key.
I myself welcome the era of orb pondering!
The Eye might tell you, if he’s in a good mood.
$7.99 a session and she will tell you the winning lottery numbers too
Forget the lottery numbers, I wanna know when I’ll get laid.
You should probably just take the lotto numbers