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World's first memory button cell can hold full length movies
Hamilton, New Zealand. In what could be a world first breakthrough, research and development company Power Beat International Limited has successfully tested a prototype battery, which is capable of holding up to 5 Gigabits of memory. The device has been code-named “TriCell”. Research was funded by Australian businessman, Ross Palmer of Brisbane.
The prototype, (see picture) measuring 25mm x 25mm x 12mm, can be reduced to 10mm in production. The TriCell uses environmentally friendly materials including copper, silver, zinc and carbon. It produces up to 1.56v and has the capacity to hold complete movies. The movies are held in the form of implanted code at the atomic level. The code is released electrochemically as the TriCell battery is discharging.
Prototype TriCell movies are stored by layering atoms
on a neutral plate of copper and silver.
How It Works
The TriCell battery includes an additional “neutral plate” as opposed to the conventional one positive, one negative battery cell. The neutral plate includes alternating coats of atom thick layers of positive ions that are sequentially shed when the TriCell is discharging. As these layers are shed they affect the voltage output.
Play Video
The TriCell battery is capable of holding a complete video movie without the need for any electronic circuitry or mechanical/moving parts. By connecting the TriCell battery to a light emitting diode (LED) the LED “modulates”, that is it turns brighter and dimmer at high speed as the TriCell is discharging.
This modulation can be picked up by a special photocell known as an “avalanche-diode”, which is extremely sensitive to changes in light intensity.
For practical application the avalanche-diode is connected to a simple de-modulator and amplifier circuit which is then plugged into the video and audio input connectors of a standard television or computer. As the TriCell discharges, the movie appears on the screen.
Low Cost
The technology was developed in conjunction with Power Beat’s megamantis™ program (see www.megamantis.com)
“We realized that all batteries produce some noise whilst discharging. What we discovered is a way to create “specific noise” so that when the TriCell is connected to a LED, the LED will flicker in sequence with the noise purposely implanted on the extra neutral plate. I thought this would be an efficient way to store code, and it worked” said Power Beat Managing Director, Peter
Witehira.
Once the TriCell has been discharged it is not possible to record a new movie onto it. However, the cost of the TriCell should be less than US$1.00 to produce.
The important thing about this invention is that the TriCell not only supplies power for the LED but also supplies the video signal as it discharges through the LED.
Ten Billion Positive Ions for Code
There are no electronic circuits or moving parts required within the TriCell. All that is needed is for the TriCell to be connected to a LED, the LED can then interface with a simple docking station containing an avalanche-diode demodulator and simple amplifier which turns the flickering light from the LED into video, data, or audio signals.
“The memory capacity from a button sized TriCell is enormous. After all we are talking about stacking positive ions which are the size of atoms. There are over 1 million atoms in a full stop.
A 25mm diameter TriCell can hold up to 10 billion positive ions in a special array on the neutral plate. When the TriCell is discharging, these positive ions are electrochemically peeled off in the opposite order in which they were applied, thus creating the necessary signal through the LED.
A movie can only be recorded backwards onto the neutral plate during manufacture. By using a proprietary system under development at Power Beat we believe it is possible to embed a full-length movie onto at least 1 million 25mm diameter TriCells within 2 ½ hours. I believe the technology is heading in the direction that will set a new paradigm for embedded memory devices” said Mr Witehira.
For further information, please contact Power Beat at:
Airport Road, RD2
Hamilton
New Zealand
Phone: (07) 843 0831
Fax: (07) 843 0061
email: admin@powerbeat.com
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