Researchers Create Cheap, Flexible, Plastic Flash Memory

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the University of Tokyo, led by electrical engineering professor Takao Someya, have created a new kind of low-cost, plastic, flash memory storage device. Although not as dense or stable as its silicon cousin, the plastic flash memory is useful because of its low cost, simple manufacturing process, and potential use in e-paper or other flexible devices. To demonstrate the memory, Someya's group integrated a 676-memory-cell device with a rubber pressure sensor. The flexible sensor-memory device, which is less than 700 micrometers thick, can record pressure patterns and retain them for up to a day."

Comments

Secure content transfer

[ksd1337]

This sounds like a good idea for transferring content securely. The contents of the memory will degrade in a short time, making it ideal for carrying sensitive data.

Re:Secure content transfer

[noidentity]

This sounds like a good idea for transferring content securely. The contents of the memory will degrade in a short time, making it ideal for carrying sensitive data.

There's a difference between unreliably storing data after a day, and reliably destroying all data after a day.

Re:Secure content transfer

[noidentity]

combine it with a strong encryption and once a certain amount of data is gone the result become unrecoverable even if the actual password is something as simple as 123.

The data degradation pattern is probably consistent for each particular device. So you'd just need to save the current data, then fill the device with various patterns and see how they degrade. If you find for example that particular bits degrade into set after a day, then you know which bits to try flipping in the original data. You reduce the number of possibilites greatly. So again, you need something that reliably destroys most of the data after some amount of time.

Cheap, Flexible, Plastic?

[gyrogeerloose]

Sounds like the ethics of your typical politician.

Will e-book readers be...

[runyonave]

the next virtual reality. What I mean is, back in the late 80s-90s, virtual reality was thought to be the technology of the future. Now they are out of date and instead somewhat replaced with augmented reality.

Now with e-book readers, will they get replaced with the e-paper medium. With this flexible memory card and other technology such as the printable circuit board, I can see e-book readers becoming out of date.

The flexible fad...repeats itself...

[MindPrison]

Tell me that you haven't heard this before?

- Flexible displays
- Flexible PCB's
- Flexible Chips

Yes, they've been around since the 80's. But have they ever been used? No!

Re:The flexible fad...repeats itself...

[MikeMacK]

Come on, try and be a little flexible on this...

Re:Some clarification needed from TFA

[wastedlife]

I think they refer to organic as in compounds containing carbon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_compound

Flexible polymer data storage != A new concept.

[Skratchez]

Sounds like it has a ways to go before it catches up with Silly Putty. It's been encoding newsprint for decades, and I believe it would definitely hold the content for more than a day. I hope Rupert Murdoch doesn't get wise to this "technology".

Re:Some clarification needed from TFA

[Ephemeriis]

I might be missing something; which part of the process is done with organic materials. I see that it's not silicon based, but perhaps I am misunderstanding their usage of organic. Regardless to that fact, though, it's still pretty interesting stuff.

In terms of chemistry, organic refers to stuff made from carbon.

Plastic is made from carbon.