Xerox Keeps Innovating

When many people hear the name Xerox, the first thing that springs to mind is a photocopier. But when many in the tech industry hear Xerox, they think of groundbreaking research that has brought innovations such as the GUI to life.

Recently, I attended a Xerox Innovation Day event at Bostons Museum of Science. At the event, I met researchers who are developing new products and technologies in a variety of areas, including document security, flexible displays and nanotechnology.

One area of technology I saw that is already being used—and could prove to be valuable to many businesses—was document security. I was especially impressed with a system that worked like hard-copy steganography, making it possible to embed encrypted information in a printed document that could be used for security and document validation.

Also being displayed at the event was Xerox technology for creating flexible displays using OLED technology. This technology, which uses printed organic circuits, has the potential to be used in many areas, such as unusual displays and e-paper.

One of the most interesting areas of technology that Xerox was demonstrating was MEMS (Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems). These nano-scale machines have the potential to be used in many areas to transform computing, health care and security. One device Xerox showed was a tiny MEMS optical switch, which could have a big effect on high-speed networking.