Smart dust is coming and when it fully arrives it will change the world as we know it. Think of wireless devices being the size of just a grain of sand but which are packed with cameras, sensors and other forms of communication able to transmit data. This is the future of technology.

MEMS Are Already Here But Do They Have A Future?

In fa,ct the technology is already here by way of MEMS, microelectromechanical systems also have given the name of motes. Depending on the outlook people have about the technology of the future, MEMS will bring excitement or dread. But what exactly is the future of smart dust?

MEMS are able to detect just about anything and everything from vibrations to light or temperature. Although they are smaller than a single grain of sand they have an enormous amount of power. The technology relies on an autonomous power supply, wireless communication, along with computing, all packed into a region with a volume no more than a few millimeters. Just as with dust particles, the MEMS remain suspended in the environment.

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Huge Amount of Data Collected to Memory then Processed Internally

MEMS collect large amounts of data such as from pressure, acceleration, stress, sound and much more. The technology then stores the data it collects in its memory, going on to process it via their inbuilt computer processing system. The MEMS can communicate the collected data and processing wirelessly with other MEMS or to a cloud.

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Smart Dust Will Have Many Practical Applications

Smart dust will have many practical applications in the future due to the sheer amount of information they are able to collect and process. The MEMS will have an impact on many aspects of life, in numerous industries. The technology might be thought of as being the “internet of things technology” only many billions of times over.

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MEMS may be used to monitor crops on a scale that has never before been possible and in all aspects, including determining whether the crops need water, fertilization or pest control. Equipment could be monitored in order to achieve maintenance more timely. System failure might be avoided as the MEMS could identify any weaknesses or corrosion before it occurs. The technology could be used in security wirelessly monitoring products or even people. It might keep track of inventory, including from manufacturing to palettes and boxes, shipping and in the retail environment.

The technology could be applied to the healthcare industry. It might be used in diagnostics without the need for technology, help people with disabilities to interact with tools allowing them a more independent way of living. There may even be a “neural dust” that could be implanted into the brain of human beings to give doctors feedback about activity within the brain.

Concerns about Wide-scale Adoption of Smart Dust

Despite smart dust is a huge step forward in many industries and ways of life, there are some concerns about the wide-scale adoption of the technology.

For instance, there are privacy issues that will have to be overcome. The smart dust includes sensors that record with people being able to program them to record just about anything. As they are so tiny the technology is very difficult to detect. If the technology was to fall into the wrong hands it could be devastating.

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Control over the Smart Dust Would Be Extremely Difficult

As the smart dust is so small, with billions of it being deployed over a region it would be difficult to control or retrieve. Just detecting them poses an issue, if you have no idea exactly where they are in the air, while rogue governments or entities might try taking over a large volume to engage them in something nefarious.

The Cost Would be Expensive

The cost of the smart dust would be astronomical when they first arrived, just as with any form of technology. Bear in mind it is not just the cost of the dust itself, also the satellites and other technology used in the implementation. This would put the technology out of the reach of many.

3D Printing Has Come a Long Way but It Will Go Further

3D printing has come a long way since the technology was introduced but it will go so much further in the future. The components of the MEMS will be 3D printed in one single piece with a great deal of complexity, again at a high cost.

Printing in the future will overcome the barriers that previously restricted making minute things. The lenses on the miniaturized sensors will be optical, offering the best quality images possible, another factor that will make the tech expensive for the first deployment.

Preparing for the Arrival of Smart Dust

Smart dust technology is something that has been under development since 1992, along with research by some of the biggest corporations, these include IBM, General Electric Cargill, and Cisco Systems. However, these same companies are of the belief that the technology could end up disrupting the economy or even the whole world. The majority of applications for smart dust remains in the concept stage and may never see the light of day.

The technology was listed on the Gartner Hype Cycle in 2016 and there are some who would like to see the technology arrive. If this does happen it is not going to be anytime in the near future. However, it is not just science fiction and perhaps the big question is going to be when it will arrive, not if, so we should prepare for the arrival of smart dust regardless of feelings towards the tech.