SMART DUST – The Future of Surveillance
With technology ruling our lives, we have become dependable on a variety of systems to function through the day. More so, virtual assistants like Google Home or Alexa help us wake up, keep us updated, remind us of our schedules and even entertain us.
So the minute we step out, motion sensors detect our every move with apps suggesting either a faster route to our commute or a nearby restaurant for a quick bite. In a way, sensors, sense our every move!
All thanks to Smart dust – the technology that connects us with everything….
What is Smart dust?
Smart dust are tiny computers that are designed to function together as a wireless sensor network. These tiny computers are smaller than grains of sands and are spread across a selected area to perform tasks. The sensors use radio-frequency for identification purposes and draws energy from air.
Technically, Smartdust is a system of tiny microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that can detect light, temperature, vibration, magnetism or chemicals. Smart dust uses GPS receivers to track movements as they float in air.
Does Smart dust indicate Artificial Intelligence?
We are surrounded by sensor mechanisms all through the day. These sensors are connected via radio-frequency to everything around us. With these sensors floating in the air, it could easily get access and monitor anything and everything, from movements, temperature, velocity, position, sound and even brainwaves. These Smart Dust sensors thus monitor real world happenings, without disturbing the natural order. This makes Smart Dust a very powerful tool of artificial intelligence.
How can Smart dust be a technology revolution?
Smart Dust transforms the way the environment is monitored. When used in tandem with related technologies, it could bring a change in the way things, places, people, etc. are monitored. To collect continuous, accurate and real-time data, it can be positioned anywhere and everywhere by enabling the monitoring and controlling environment. Also, these self-powered sensors transmit information to a central computer or cloud where the collected data is studied through systems.
What makes Smart dust an effective technology?
Smart dust is majorly used in industries to improve safety and efficiency. It helps reduce the costs of systems and set-up as it is based on wireless network, thereby increasing its efficiency. Smart dust is primarily used for military purpose to monitor activities in unreachable areas, helping soldiers track enemy movements or even alert them about dangerous biological matter, poisonous gas or radioactivity in the environment.
Smart dust plays a crucial role in monitoring purposes for factories and offices, where data could be collected through a computerized network. This would eliminate wired routers, thereby replacing them with smart dust chips which could manage hardware and software functions more efficiently. Smart dust can also be used to monitor crops and help increase its productivity.
How does Smart dust make surveillance a threat?
From human spies to digital bugs, surveillance through smart technology is just a beginning. Smart dust was originally developed for military applications. But today most upcoming devices are created with sensors.
A prime example of this evolution would be Amazon Echo – a brand of smart speakers launched by the world’s largest retailer. The device could actually act like a spy sitting right in your living room, sensing your every move and communication without any clue
-Noel Fernandez
