Ricoh 2002 Annual Report Download - page 12

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Please find page 12 of the 2002 Ricoh annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

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9
As part of our commitment to Image
Communication, we are working on rewritable DVD
discs that use near-field optics to increase read speeds
up to 40x and which could eventually store terabytes of
data, hundreds of times more than today’s maximum of
4.7 gigabytes for standard platters. A single disc would
be able to play days of high-resolution video.
Ricoh is pursuing an ongoing quest to expand the
potential of rewritable paper documents. We are also
conducting research so our systems can work seamless-
ly in an increasingly electronic world and give people
access to information any time, any place.
Ricoh accords top priority to exploring the almost
invisible world of micro electro-mechanical systems,
known as MEMS, for image processing and optical com-
munications. Shown under an electron microscope, this
electrostatic actuator, currently under development, is
just 50 micrometers wide and three micrometers thick,
and is designed to enhance printer resolutions and
speeds.