By Tim Ferguson, 12 December 2006 16:35
NEWS
A device similar in size to a sugar cube could store the equivalent of a lifetime of human memories in the not too distant future.
That's according to professor Nigel Shadbolt, president of the British Computer Society, who said if current trends continue, by 2025 an entire human life experience could be held in video form on a device similar in size to the cubes you drop in your coffee.
If Moore's Law - that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles every 18 months holds true, Shadbolt said this could be a very real possibility.
And with the development of technologies such as holographic memory and perpendicular recording, Shadbolt told silicon.com data storage could even outstrip these predictions.
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This potential for huge increases in memory capacity could have some very useful applications, which were discussed at the Memories for Life conference in London by Shadbolt and others.
One major benefit of storing digital video data documenting a person's life is that it could be used to treat people with memory disorders or help to improve the lives of Alzheimer's sufferers.
But Shadbolt also pointed out that these possibilities could prevent people from forgetting painful memories and lead to concerns about privacy.
Comments
There are 6 comments. Join the discussion
1. Dr John Dimmock
If the progress currently being made with optical storage then it may even be possible to store all the data in the world on a lump of crystal the size of a sugar cube
2. Graham Coles
But what happens when you drop it in your tea--oops, just lost 28,000 terabytes of data.
And given the usual excuse, how many people will have a backup?
By the way, what happened to the 'multi-layed optical storage on a roll of sellotape that would revolutionize storage that was supposed to hold hundreds of gigabytes'?
I'm still using the stuff to stick paper together while I store a mere fraction of the data on DVD.
3. Karen Challinor
sadly the porn pushers would still need more storage
4. Antony Norris
One lump or two vicar?
5. zbeast
I've read lots of story's like this in the past.
I don't see devices like this becoming available in the next 20 years.
You can wirelessly share memory's with your friends.
With up to 3 plays or 3 days.
If you like the memory you can buy it or on-line store.
This device can only be used for infringement.
Any music heard by an individual could be recorded by such a device.
We the Riaa demand that the device be pulled from the marked until filtering for
copyrighted materials can be added and you pay us $1000.00 per every device
manufactured because of possible future infringement.
As you watch the recorded memory. In every location where you would see or hear a copyrighted movie, music or image.
They will all be digitally replaced by advertisements, computer synchronized with time-sensitive ads.
http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28798
All devices will be required to have government approved censorship controls and monitoring devices.
If your recorder detects that you've committed any crime the recording made by your personal recorder would be admissible in court.
Because the device does playbacks of true memories.
advertisers and governments could craft false memories.
In order to make you buy or follow a particular political path.
6. anonymous
Moore's Law is not holding up which is why we now have dual core chips. This guy should do his research!