What if you could store 360TB worth of data on a tiny glass piece that could last an eternity? What would you tell your descendants? Scientists at the University of Southampton have reached a breakthrough in developing a type of digital data storage that can last for billions of years.
The recording and retrieval process of five dimensional (5D) data onto nanostructured glass is done by femtosecond laser writing, a futuristic technology developed by the Optoelectronics Research Centre of the university. Apart from being able to store 360TB of data onto it, the storage also has thermal stability of up to 1,000 degrees celsius and can possibly last a lifetime under room temperature. This is by far the most secure portable memory that can store archives of your life story.
Speaking about a virtually non-perishable portable storage, important documents over the course of human history have been saved for them to survive the human race and beyond. Namely, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Newton’s Opticks, Magna Carta and Kings James Bible. In fact, UNESCO has received a copy of the UDHR in 5D format.
Ultrafast laser was used to record the documents. According to the University of Southampton, the file is written in three layers of nanostructured dots separated by five micrometres. These nanostructures modify the way light travels, causing the polarization of light to be able to be read under a combination of a microscope and a polarizer. Why is it called 5D? The encoding of data is done in five dimensions – the three dimensional position of these nanostructures, also, its orientation and position.
This groundbreaking innovation sure doesn’t sound cheap. But since its 2016, let’s hope that technologies like this will be commercialized for us consumers. Till then, stay tuned!
Source: University of Southampton
