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Computers

Art Lebedev's cardboard USB stick concept

By Bridget Borgobello
May 13, 2011
Art Lebedev's cardboard USB stick concept
Flashkus disposable USB stick concept by Art. Lebedev
Flashkus disposable USB stick concept by Art. Lebedev
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Flashkus disposable USB stick concept by Art. Lebedev
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Russian-based design studio Art. Lebedev of Optimus keyboard fame has turned its hand to data storage with the disposable, recyclable "Flashkus" USB stick concept.

Made out of cardboard, these modular memory sticks would come in storage sizes from 4GB to 16GB and the concept includes a space to write the drive's contents on the end of the stick or jazz it up with a personalized design, picture or color coding.

The idea has potential for students, file sharing, or for any disposable data situation like press releases and marketing campaigns.

Source: Art. Lebedev

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ComputersUSBArt LebedevDisposableCardboardData Storage
10 comments
Bridget Borgobello
Bridget Borgobello
Bridget is an experienced architecture, travel and design writer who has been contributing to New Atlas since 2010. Based between Melbourne and Rome, she and has a keen eye for innovative design, green technology and space saving solutions. Bridget is fluent in Italian and enjoys covering major events in Italy, including the Milan Design Week and Venice Biennale.

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10 comments
Adrien
since when did cardboard become a storage medium? Apart from storing household junk that is. What happened to silicon?
If it\'s got a USB interface and can store 8GB why would you throw it away?
That\'s kinda like the concept of the disposable cardboard car. Drive to town and throw it away.
Darren Odden
I would like to applaud a concept of recycling, but I would like to point out a huge fail is the introduction of rare earth materials into the paper recycling stream. I get that at some point the media might need to go to the trash, but to negligently consider putting toxic waste into the recycle stream and then into the starbucks cup from which I drink is horrifying at best.
Barry\'s POV speaks more on this... If you will allow: http://www.barryspov.com/?p=181
Ed
Uh...how many of us throw away an 8GB drive? I get mine from MicroCenter and they cost $12! Not something I\'ld be willing to throw away! And besides, the thing about t thumb drive is it\'s durability! You can throw one in your bag, or in your pocket, or hang it from your badge chain and it will take the beating and keep your data safe! Heck, I\'ve even had one go through the wash in tact! This thing? Well, I\'ll bet it doesn\'t go for cheaper the $12...and honestly, I wouldn\'t trust the reliability of the thing!
digi_owl
One thing i would love to see for this was lower capacity but in packs of multiple. I still think that one of the problems right now is that no storage media have really replaced one aspect of the floppy, the ability to grab a box of them and pass one or more on the friends without worrying about it being returned.
Closest thing is CD/DVD-R, but that requires a burner and specialized software.
Oscar Ssekamatte
I don\'t know if you guys agree, but I think that this is a piece of ART, not a real ubs-stick!
Mr T
Dumb idea, you wouldn\'t throw out a flash drive if it still worked fine, and yes, introducing more metals etc into the paper recycling stream is foolish, paper recyclers have to remove enough garbage from their raw materials as it is. As I\'ve said before, they should teach common sense along with design in all design courses...
Mr Stiffy
Stupid idea.
The only variation betweeb the card board and plastic ones are the encasement of the electrics in compressed fiber, instead of plastic.
Given that a USB drive should last say 5 years with daily read // writes, the idea of dumbing down the housing into something that gets chewed up by coins and keys is a stupid idea.
The idea of having them stuck together in a slab like a \"roll of stamps\" is useful...
But the very idea of USB sticks is to have compact, durable, transportable data storage - that goes into any USB port any where.
So how does making them into junk disposable play things help anyone?
Adam Blanch
You all miss the point.
the potential they provide is for companies to distribute software cheaply. how about you rent a movie and it comes out of a machine on a cardboard USB? read once, throw away. or you have a large piece of software you need to move between computers and you just want to plug and play (i.e. games). IF they can be made cheaply enough it has huge commercial potential. Stop thinking like computer geeks and start thinking business and you will see thepoint.
I do agree about having to solve the heavy metals problem though.
Matthew Coverdale
These are actually a great idea when it comes to transferring media via storage device through several hands. How many people do you know of that will hand off an 8G flash to somebody else without knowing what\'s going to happen to it or how long it\'ll be gone? I know that I keep an eagle\'s eye on mine, and it\'s long due to be scrapped.
Ease up on new ideas, or advancement will never happen. As much as this doesn\'t fit into regular life by today\'s standards...this is still a good idea, especially if the end price is manageable.
Mr Stiffy
I am not saying it\'s bad to make better ways or what ever, it\'s the fact that \"wealth\" is basically rated on how much you can afford to waste, rather than how much you can share and efficiently make use of.
All of this \"disposable\" is VERY bad and it\'s VERY wasteful and it\'s VERY wasteful.
It\'s a bad idea, that is marketed by the fact that shaving a few cents off a USB stick, as opposed to making a metal and or plastic casing - and then marketing them as \"disposable\" - it\'s a really devious and wasteful idea.
Lets see.
Disposable plates, cutlery, razors, tooth brushes, batteries, light bulbs, torches, printers, computers, washing machines, wrappers, bottles, packaging, advertising (junk mail), bug spray cans, medical equipment, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc........
OK so why is our world so polluted, what are all the resources being dug and drilled for and how much of it goes through the use once - dump cycle?
It\'s crap.
And making USB drives disposable by cost saving on a few cents per drive?
I think the USB 2.0 spec is that the fittings have to pass 1500 insertions and removals etc. so assuming that it\'s all quality, and with an average or 1.5 insertions per day that means that - after taking out week ends and holidays etc.. the average USB drive used for work should last about 6 years (or something like that).
So how is it smart to be stupid and wasteful, just to save a few cents on the production cost of a USB drive, so that it radically reduces the intrinsic value of the product and materially degrades the life span of the capabilities of the drive it\'s self?
What could have lasted a minimum of say 6 years, falls apart in a few weeks or months - what just to save a few cents?
It\'s crap.