Tiny Chips Could Change Our Lives

Larry Magid Reports On The Latest Invention From HP Labs

(CBS)  There is also the possibility that HP might embed readers and writers into cameras and printers. Most digital cameras are already able to record sound, so why not embed the sound into prints that people could can listen to as well as look at?

Taub envisions chips embedded into stickers that people could apply to photos. But he doesn't rule out the possibility of HP embedding them directly into photo paper, along with printers that can write the data as they print the photos. That's one way to keep selling expensive consumables.

If this technology sounds vaguely familiar, it could be because you've already heard about RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that are now used in cargo containers and some products so that inventory can be scanned and cataloged.

Like RFIDs, Memory Spot chips store data and have a built-in radio transmitter but the similarities end there.

RFIDs store a very small amount of data – enough to identify and describe an object but not nearly enough for, say, a photograph. And they are able to transmit up to 15 feet, which makes them ideal for inventory control.

Memory Spots, on the other hand, can transmit only about 1 millimeter so the reader has to come into almost touching distance. That limits the applications but increases privacy and security because you don't have to worry about someone reading your data from across the room.

The Memory Spot has a fully integrated antenna that's part of the same silicon as the chip itself while RFIDs have attached antennas. Some RFIDs need a power source but the memory spot will never need any type of battery.

The power necessary to transfer data from the spot to the device is embedded into the reader. When the reader gets within a millimeter of the chip, it provides the necessary energy to transfer the data.

Taub expects the chips to cost about $1 each when they're finally commercially available. Don't look for these chips any time soon. They're at least two years away from production, maybe more, said Taub.

---

A syndicated technology columnist for over two decades, Larry Magid serves as on air Technology Analyst for CBS Radio News. His technology reports can be heard several times a week on the CBS Radio Network. Magid is the author of several books including "The Little PC Book."