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When it comes to conserving environmental resources,technology manufacturers are devising fascinatingmethods to “go green.” The latest comes from Xerox,whose scientists have invented reusable paper that holds images lasting only a day before disappearing.
“Despite our reliance on computers to share and process information, there is still a strong dependence on the printed page for reading and absorbing content,” says Paul Smith, manager of the new materials design and synthesis lab at Xerox Research Centre of Canada.
“Of course, we’d all like to use less paper, but we know from talking with customers that many people still prefer to work with information on paper. Self-erasing documents for short-term use offers the best of both worlds.”
This new technology, which stems from a joint effort between Xerox and PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), uses compounds that change color when absorbing certain wavelengths of lights but then gradually disappear.
Current iterations of the “erasable paper” are naturally wiped clean in about 16 to 24 hours, or they can be instantly erased when exposed to heat.Of course, you won’t be able use this erasable paper in your trusty inkjet printer just yet. PARC scientists are currently conducting research that will hopefully result in a device that can handle the paper. Currently, a prototype device shoots wavelengths of light onto the paper using a light bar.
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