FILES ON A CARD: SMALL FORMAT, HIGH CAPACITY DIGITAL STORAGE/RETRIEVAL.

Using technology similar to today's writable optical disks, optical memory cards will make it possible to conveniently distribute and use digital information. Drexler's version of the optical card, the LaserCard while only the size of a standard credit card, can hold up to two megabytes of updatable digital information, and can be issued in on-demand quantities. Drexler is also the original developer of the technology for the card, and is currently licensing the card and related technology for system development. Among those companies developing systems are Japanese firms, including Canon, Matsushita, Olympus, Omron, Sharp and Toshiba. In the U. S. , NCR Corp. , Honeywell and Wang are also engaged in LaserCard programs as Drexler licensees. The optical memory card is a nonvolatile and environmentally tolerant memory. Thus, it will not be susceptible to alteration by magnetic fields, X-rays, or electrostatic discharge. Nor will data on a writable optical memory card be alterable without detection.