3D-printed holographics can encode data using common plastic -- keys and addresses up to 576 bits, with redundancy

Parts of the process being illustrated from Figure 1— the inputs and outputs of the process, including a render of the final phase plate element in fig. f (Image credit: Constable, E., Gospodaric, J. & Pimenov, A. Encoding terahertz holographic bits with a computer-generated 3D-printed phase plate. Sci Rep 14, 5549 (2024).)

There is no shortage of ways to store and encode data in the ever-evolving field of data storage— adding to that list on March 6th, researchers published a paper titled "Encoding terahertz holographic bits with a computer-generated 3D-printed phase plate" for open access on Nature.com's Scientific Reports. This story reached us through a Phys.org writeup.

Based on the abstract in the original report, a 2D 576-bit data code can be produced using a diffractive phase-plate element. The data actually encoded in the testing was a 256-bit private Bitcoin wallet key with redundancy, so it's a little unclear whether 256-bit is the real upper-limit or a user could use all 576 bits without redundancy. In any case, that's not a lot of storage— but for the right pieces of digitized information, it may be all you need.

The process works by using a combination of the right FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) on Github (namely libdmtx and pylibdmtx) and the best 3D printers, one can map and then print holographic data to a regular piece of plastic. In order for the data to be read once mapped to this piece of plastic, the usage of a terahertz wave is required— which is likely the most expensive part of the process.