The mastermind behind the HDTV revolution aims to deliver storage technology that is virtually indestructible and can shrink a DVD movie to the size of a human thumbnail
- New storage method inspired by antique photographic techniques
- SWS technology stores data for centuries without power
- NASA tests confirm the resilience of SWS under extreme conditions
Experienced engineers Clark Johnson and Richard Jay Solomon take on a major data storage challenge: keeping information safe and intact for centuries without using energy.
An article about IEEE spectrum reports how Johnson, a key figure in the development of HDTV, and Solomon pioneered new archival technology that combines elements of ancient photography with modern data needs.
Their standing wave storage system (SWS), developed at Wave Domain, provides a resilient, tamper-resistant solution for securing digital information in a small footprint.
Writing data in color waves
Inspired by the emulsion technique of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gabriel Lippmann, the technology stores data by capturing color waves in a durable silver halide emulsion. Johnson’s path to this innovation began with his HDTV work, which he developed with Solomon and a team at MIT in the late 1980s.
This work led Johnson and his team to become experts in optics and digital imaging – a skill set that now underpins their latest creation. Working with emulsion expert Yves Gentet, they adapted Lippmann’s method to store multiple colors per pixel, creating a high-density archival medium.
SWS technology is designed for applications where data must be stored for long periods of time without power or copies.
“The data we read comes off the plate at such a high bandwidth,” Solomon said IEEE spectrum. “There isn’t a computer on the planet that can absorb it without some buffering.” Using LEDs and a specially formulated silver halide plate, the system ‘writes’ data into color waves that, once processed, are immune to moisture, radiation and cosmic rays.
NASA tested the storage medium’s durability by sending 150 SWS samples to the International Space Station in 2019, where they were exposed to cosmic rays for nine months.
Upon their return, Solomon reported “absolutely zero degradation” in the data. This resilience, even in the harsh conditions of space, supports the technology’s potential for data centers, scientific research and space applications that require minimal energy.
“The idea is to use readily available parts,” Johnson said, when talking about the practicalities of SWS. Because costs are low and no power is required to store data, Johnson envisions applications beyond space, especially in data-heavy fields.
Now 94 years old, Johnson said IEEE spectrum that he is not looking for a startup based on the technology, but rather a successor to lead Wave Domain’s SWS to mainstream adoption.
