Helium Filled Hard drives

[Uranium-235]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/26227..._capacity.html

I heard about this. Focused on the business sectors. But I predict once they get all the kinks out, and the money to put back into R&D, the consumer will begin to see them, having single platter 1TB drives @ 7200+ RPM and running cold, and fast, and being cheap

we might start to see < 320GB drives disappearing

[Logistics]

Re: Helium Filled Hard drives

My company created a large electromagnet for WD which readied some sort of special-material platters. I wonder if it has something to do with this... hmm.

[larrymoencurly]

Re: Helium Filled Hard drives

I asked this in a newsgroup: Has anybody tried putting a hard disk in an unside down empty aquarium and filled the chamber with helium? I'm assuming if the HD's vent is placed on the bottom, it will let the denser air fall out and the helium rise into it.

[Per Hansson]

Re: Helium Filled Hard drives

Filling a regular HDD with helium will make the heads crash into the disk surface.
A correct air density is required for regular harddrives to work.

It is why they can not be put inside an unpressurized box on an airplane while operating for example, or in space.
Using helium would get around these problems, all the while increasing performance and data density as the article states.
I'm kind of impressed by this, I read about it a while ago, it's so simple yet so effective!