11-10-2017, 02:54 PM
Nail storage is a method of writing data into a human fingernail with a pulsed laser. Fluorescence of the nail, when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, increases at the points where the data are written. The data can be read from the fingernail using a microscope while it radiates the nail with UV energy.
Recent nail-storage experiments by Yoshio Hayasaki of Tokushima University (Japan) have involved small regions of a single nail, measuring approximately two millimeters (square). A pulsed laser, at a wavelength of 800 nanometers (nm), is used to write the data into the nail. Each data bit measures approximately 0.003 millimeters (mm) in diameter. The individual data bits are spaced 0.005 mm apart, in three layers at depths of 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08 mm within the nail.
The storage of the nail has a limited life because the human nails grow out. The average human nail is completely replaced by the body every six months, assuming the nail is cut short at regular intervals. Nail storage has been suggested as a biometric means of identification, and also for storing critical medical information for use in emergencies.
Recent nail-storage experiments by Yoshio Hayasaki of Tokushima University (Japan) have involved small regions of a single nail, measuring approximately two millimeters (square). A pulsed laser, at a wavelength of 800 nanometers (nm), is used to write the data into the nail. Each data bit measures approximately 0.003 millimeters (mm) in diameter. The individual data bits are spaced 0.005 mm apart, in three layers at depths of 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08 mm within the nail.
The storage of the nail has a limited life because the human nails grow out. The average human nail is completely replaced by the body every six months, assuming the nail is cut short at regular intervals. Nail storage has been suggested as a biometric means of identification, and also for storing critical medical information for use in emergencies.