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Breathe to Reveal Secrets: New Humidity-Activated Storage
1 Jun
Summary
- A new optical device from UCSD engineers responds to humidity changes.
- Breathing on the device can reveal hidden information in milliseconds.
- The technology offers potential for security tags and environmental sensors.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have pioneered a groundbreaking optical storage device activated by humidity. This innovative technology allows information to be encoded and revealed through changes in moisture levels.
The device, roughly the size of a postage stamp, features a hydrogel layer that swells with humidity. Information is written onto a bottom layer using lasers, and as the hydrogel expands or contracts, the spacing between layers shifts, altering light reflection. This process can reveal images and colors in approximately 300 milliseconds.
This reusable system offers a cost-effective and scalable alternative to traditional storage methods. Potential applications include built-in security features for items like credit card security tags or as environmental sensors that change color with humidity.
The technical details of this humidity-responsive storage were published last month in the journal Light: Science & Applications.
