Each chip contains a number of channels - IBM would not specify the number - that can each handle light-encoded data at speeds of up to 25 gigabits per second (Gbps).
The new single-laser fiber-optic speed record was set using a technique called fast Fourier transform that pulses light at an incredibly high rate with dataencoded in 325 distinct colors across the spectrum.
The 5.27 megabits of data are more than 600 times bigger than the largest data set previously encoded in DNA. It is the equivalent of the storage capacity of a 3.5-inch floppy computer disk.
The captured data is then encoded with GPS info and immediately sent to a call center or trusted friend, or stored for future transmission if a signal is not readily available (since you need to reenter a coverage area at some point for this device to be effective, we can safely rule out T-Mobile as a potential carrier).
The data it collects are encoded immediately, using a level of security more frequently associated with financial institutions than doctors' surgeries.