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The brains behind the HDTV revolution want to offer storage technology that is nearly indestructible and can reduce a DVD movie to the size of a human miniature.

The brains behind the HDTV revolution want to offer storage technology that is nearly indestructible and can reduce a DVD movie to the size of a human miniature.

New storage method inspired by ancient photographic techniques
SWS technology preserves data for centuries without power
NASA tests confirm the resistance of SWS in extreme conditions

Veteran engineers Clark Johnson and Richard Jay Solomon are tackling a major challenge in data storage: keeping information secure and intact for centuries without using power.

an article about IEEE Spectrum reports how Johnson, a key figure in the development of HDTV, and Solomon have pioneered a new archival technology that fuses elements of ancient photography with modern data needs.

Its Standing Wave Storage System (SWS), developed at Wave Domain, offers a rugged, tamper-proof solution for safeguarding digital information in a small format.

Write data in color waves

Inspired by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gabriel Lippmann's emulsification technique, the technology stores data by capturing color waves in a durable silver halide emulsion. Johnson's path to this innovation began with his work on HDTV, 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 informs 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 needs to be preserved for long periods without power or copies.

“The data we read comes from the dish with such high bandwidth,” Solomon said. IEEE Spectrum. “There is no computer on the planet that can absorb it without some buffer.” 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 durability of the storage medium by sending 150 SWS samples to the International Space Station in 2019, where they were exposed to cosmic radiation for nine months.

Upon his 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, talking about the practical aspects of the SWS. With low costs and no need for power to preserve data, Johnson envisions uses beyond space, especially in data-intensive fields.

He is now 94 years old, Johnson said. IEEE Spectrum that is not looking to create a startup based on the technology, but rather is looking for a successor to bring Wave Domain's SWS to widespread adoption.

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