Rainbow Technology 5o4px

printing the data encoded in a

ABSTRACT Rainbow technology,a breakthrough in digital data storage enables us to store up to a massive 450GB on just a piece of paper. Rainbow Storage is a group of techniques to store digital data

in

some

colors,

color

denser way much higher capacities can be achieved. Paper is, of course, bio-degradable, unlike CDs or DVDs. And sheets of paper also cost a fraction of the cost of a CD or DVD.

combinations and some symbols

This boon to digital data storage is

known

and

developed by Sainul Abideen,

therefore a rainbow picture will be

university technology student at

generated. The technique is used to

the Muslim educational society

achieve high-density storage. With

Engineering College in Kerala.

as

rainbow

format,

the help of Rainbow system we would be watching full-length highdefinition videos from a piece of paper! The main attraction is the cheap paper. The Rainbow technology is feasible

because

printed

text,

readable by the human eye is a very wasteful use of the potential capacity of paper to store data. By

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?

therefore looks like a print-out of the modern art. The paper can then be read

through

a

specially

developed scanner and the contents decoded into their Data stored in rainbow format on an ordinary paper. It uses geometric shapes such as

original digital format and viewed

or

Rainbow

played.

The

technology

squares and hexagons to represent

feasible

data patterns, instead of the usual

text,

binary method that uses ones and

human

zeros to represent data. Besides,

wasteful

color is also used in the Rainbow

potential capacity of paper

system, to represent other data

to store data. By printing

elements. Files such as text,

the

images, sounds and video clips are

denser way much higher

encoded in "rainbow format" as

capacities can be achieved.

colored circles, triangles, squares

The retrieval of data is done

and so on, and printed as dense

by scanning the paper or

graphics on paper at a density of

the plastic sheet containing

2.7GB per square inch. An RVD

the data into a scanner and later

because

is

readable eye

data

use

is

printed by

the

a

very

of

the

encoded

reading

it

in

a

over

monitor. Instead of using 0s and 1s, we use color dots where each color dot can represent minimum 8 bits (1

byte).

picture

The

will

compressed

rainbow

be and

highly can

be

IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS:

represented in any color medium. For retrieving the contents from the medium, picture

can

be

captured

and data can be generated from

the

color

combinations.

"Although

environmental

light

differences

and

color

shading is a problem, it can overcome up to a certain limit

by

using

efficient

mapping functions".

Discs can now be developed from plastic paper too which will be able to hold 450 GB of data. In order to read the Rainbow prints, all that is required is a

scanner and specialized software.

will replace CD drives of mobile

Smaller scanners could fit inside

phone and computer notebooks

laptop

and will enable more data in

computers

or

mobile

phones, and read SIM card-sized

portable forms for mini digital

RVD's containing 5GB of data.

readers. Large scale manufacture

The recording media could be either

of the Rainbow card will bring

paper or plastic sheets. The piece of

down its cost to just 50 paise

paper or even plastic sheet storing the

DEMONSTRATION DEMONSTRATION::

data has just to be scanned in the scanner and read over the monitor. A scanning drive based on the Rainbow software has simultaneously been developed which will come in smaller sizes to be initially carried with the laptops and later to fit into their bodies. The developer is simultaneously moulding the technology into 'Rainbow Cards' which will be of

Sainul Abideen, the developer, explaining feature of his brainchild -Rainbow Technology

SIM card size and store 5 GB of

The reporter of Arab News claims

data equivalent to three films of

to have seen 450 pages of fully

DVD quality.

printed foolscap being stored on a

As 'Rainbow Cards' will become

4-square inch piece of Rainbow

Popular, Rainbow Card Readers

paper. The reporter also claimed

that he was shown a 45-second video clip that was stored using the Rainbow system on a plain piece of

paper.

Abideen

has

demonstrated a 45-second video clip being encoded on paper, termed by him, a rainbow video disk - RVD - and then played back through a computer with an RVD scanner

attached.

In

another

CD, DVD’s a thing of past. Currently, of the several options available for data storage, DVDs are the best mode, but are yet expensive. Sianul has said that a CD or DVD consumes 16gms of polycarbonate,

which

is

a

petroleum by-product.

demonstration he has shown 432

While a CD costs Rs. 15, his paper

A4 pages of paper rainbow format-

or plastic-made RVD will cost just

encoded and stored on a two-inch

about Rs. 1.50 and will even have

by two-inch square of paper.

131 times more storage capacity. Using this technology an A4 sheet

COMPARISON WITH OTHER STORAGE DEVICES:

of paper could store 256GB of data. In comparison, a DVD can store 4.7GB of data. Paper is, of course, bio-degradable, unlike CDs or DVDs. And sheets of paper also cost a fraction of the cost of a CD or DVD.

•

He biodegradable nature of the storage devices would do away with the e-waste

ADVANTAGES:

pollution. • The four main storage

• Data can be stored on an ordinary paper. • Abideen claims that huge

devices made using this technology are RVD, Disposable storage, Data

data banks can be

Banks, Rainbow cards, and

constructed out of Rainbow-

answer to the storage

based storage medium.

problems faced by the

• Larger amount of data can be had on lesser space. • The extremely low-cost

computer world. • With the help of disposable storage,a high density data

technology will drastically

storage is made possible even

reduce the cost of storage

on paper or plastic sheets,any

and provide for high speed

type of computer files can be

storage too.

stored and distributed this

• Files in any format like

way,so instead of giving cd’s

movie files, songs, images,

with the computer

text can be stored using this

magazines,its content can be

technology.

printed in a page,video albums, software etc.Can be

distributed at avery low cost

Banks;it is huge server with a

with the help disposable

high storage capacity.As per a

storage

research project done in US in

• Rainbow cards can be used

2003 to store the avaible static

in mobile devices in place of

data(films,songs,tutorials

DVDs &VCDs.In a square

presentations etc)the server

inch sized rainbow cards,

required will cost $500

(equivalent to the size of sim

crores(23000 crores).But by

card)more than 5GB data can

using data banks ,a similar

be stored.A major crisis

server can be made with Rs.35

faced in the design of the

lacks.All;the available films and

small digital devices is the

other static data can be used by

huge size of the CD/DVD

paying cash with the

drives.The rainbow cards can

internet.Almost 125.603 PB

solve this problem.Un-

data storage is possible in a

authorized copies of the

Data Bank.

films can be controlled to a

• Sainul is busy with project

certain limits using these

Xpre3ssa now.It’s a software

cards.A UK-based company

package for regional

has already evinced interest

languages.By using this, News

in making rainbow cards

papers, stories, novels etc can

• Another theme put forward by rainbow technology is the Data

be made audible in it’s own style.so online news papers and

novels can be enjoyed through

popularity of the Rainbow

mobile phone with a GPRS

Technology, computer or fashion

connection.Sainul Abideen, a

magazines in future need not carry

native of Karingappara , is a

CDs in a pack.

freelence software developer. •

One of the major advantages of

Un-authorized copies of the

the Rainbow system is the fact that

films can be controlled to a

it should cost a lot less to produce

certain limit using these cards.

than the typical polycarbonate DVDs, CDs and now Blu- rays. Huge data banks can be

DISADVANTAGES:

constructed out of Rainbow-based

The paper has the tendency to fade

storage medium.

away hence the data loss may occur. REFERENCES: With the extremely low cost of using this technology we can always afford

1. "Data Can Now Be Stored on

to have multiple copies.

Paper" by M. A. Siraj, Arab News (published November 18, 2006;

CONCLUSION:

accessed November 29, 2006)

Once the Rainbow technology is

2. Paper storage man

in, soon we would be watching

misunderstood — The Inquirer

full-length high-definition videos

article, 12 December 2006

from a piece of paper! With the

(retrieved 15 December 2006.

3. "Store 256GB on an A4 sheet" by Chris Mellor, Techworld (published November 24, 2006; accessed November 29, 2006)