Memory Spot: Bridging the digital and physical worlds

Like RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, the Memory Spot chip requires no batteries – it is powered from radio fields emitted by reading devices. But the Memory Spot chip functions more like a miniature computer than a passive tag, with key differences in data transfer rates, storage and security. The chip can also be erased and rewritten.

In contrast to RFID chips, HP Memory Spot chip can store text, sounds and short video. And that information can be retrieved instantly, thanks to its blazing speed – 10 times faster than Bluetooth™ wireless technology. “You’re running at faster than wireless LAN speed. The interaction is basically completed before you know it,” says McDonnell.

Memory Spot chips won't come out, if they do get released commercially, for a couple of years. If they are manufactured in volume, costs are expected to be relatively low because all of the components – antenna, processor, capacitor and memory – are integrated into a single piece of silicon.

The experimental chips are so small that they could be sold as a book of self-adhesive dots. “You could buy a booklet of memory spots in a shop. You could then bundle one off the backing and just stick it on whatever you want to,” explains McDonnell.

Information on a Memory Spot chip can be accessed by a read-write device that could be incorporated into a mobile phone, handheld computer, camera, printer or other implement. To access information, the read-write device is positioned closely over the chip, which is then powered so that the stored data is transferred instantly to the display of the phone, camera or other device or printed out by a printer. Users could also add information to the chip using the various devices.

The Memory Spot chip has the potential to offer greater security than typical RFID chips, whose range of up to about 10 feet makes them more vulnerable to intrusions. The reader must be touched to the chip or placed within a millimetre for data transfer to occur.   Because the Memory Spot contains a processor, it also offers the potential for data-protection features.

Where will HP Memory Spot chip be used first?

Digital photography was a driving force behind its invention. The idea was to put audio and video into photo by means of a memory-spot attached or embedded into the photo. However, the first application for Memory Spot is likely to be for a more narrowly defined market such as healthcare.

Ultimately, the same technology could digitally enrich menus, advertising cards, travel brochures or photos. 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.

And the versatile chip, attached to a paper cover sheet, would eliminate the need to copy an original document. Reading the Memory Spot chip into the photocopier each time would result in the same sharp result, no matter how many copies are needed. These kinds of applications have the potential to create a new printer and consumables business for HP.

There are even potentially life-saving applications. A ‘pharma-spot’ -- contained within a tamper-evident seal – could convey information about the manufacture and quality of medication and ultimately prove its authenticity. A similar process could be used to verify high-value engineering and aviation components. An identity card or passport with a Memory Spot chip could offer the best of both worlds -- the convenience of a wallet-size card with secure, relevant digital information.

“We soon realised just how vast the range of applications is,” says McDonnell. “In fact, that is one of our biggest challenges. We are trying to decide what our very first application will be.”