ENSCHEDE, the Netherlands  In this small town just across the border from Germany, a small group of Dutch scientists and one irrepressible Austrian salesman have dedicated themselves to the task of reinventing one of the great inventions of the 20th century  Polaroid’s instant film.

Digital cameras are ubiquitous, cheap and easy to use  the reasons Polaroid stopped making the film last year  so what this group in Enschede is attempting may seem hopelessly retrograde.

But to them, that is exactly the point. They want to recast an outdated production process in an abandoned Polaroid factory for an age that has fallen for digital pictures because they think people still have room in their hearts for retro photography that eschews airbrushing or Photoshop.

“This project is about building a very interesting business to last for at least another decade,” said Florian Kaps, the Austrian entrepreneur behind the effort. “It is about the importance of analog aspects in a more and more digital world.”