Memory Spot chip wins Popular Science award

December 2006 -- Memory Spot, a wireless data chip that could help bridge the physical and digital worlds, received a 2006 "Best Of What’s New" award in general innovation from Popular Science Magazine.

Developed in HP Labs Bristol, U.K., the chip provides high storage capacity and bandwidth comparable to standard RFID tags. The tiny chip can be stuck on or embedded in almost any object and make available information and content now found mostly on electronic devices or the Internet.

Potential applications include storing medical records on a hospital patient’s wristband; providing audio-visual supplements to postcards and photos; helping fight counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry; adding security to identity cards and passports; and supplying additional information for printed documents. The chip is not yet available for commercial use.

" ‘Best of What's New’ is the ultimate Popular Science accolade, representing a year's worth of work evaluating thousands of products," says Mark Jannot, the magazine's editor. "These awards honor innovations that not only influence the way we live today, but that change the way we think about the future."

The 12-inch tall, hexagonal crystal trophy will be displayed in the main lobby of HP Labs Palo Alto, HP Labs headquarters, through the end of the year. At that time, it will go permanently to HP Labs Bristol.