Smartdust
Encyclopedia
Smartdust is a hypothetical system of many tiny microelectromechanical systems
(MEMS) such as sensors, robots, or other devices, that can detect, for example, light
, temperature
, vibration
, magnetism
or chemicals; are usually networked
wireless
ly; and are distributed over some area to perform tasks, usually sensing.
(University of California, Berkeley
) in 2001.. A recent review discusses various techniques to take smartdust in sensor networks beyond millimeter dimensions to the micrometre
level.
The Ultra-Fast Systems component of the Nanoelectronics Research Centre at the University of Glasgow
is a founding member of a large international consortium which is developing a related concept: smart specks.
Microelectromechanical systems
Microelectromechanical systems is the technology of very small mechanical devices driven by electricity; it merges at the nano-scale into nanoelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology...
(MEMS) such as sensors, robots, or other devices, that can detect, for example, light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
, vibration
Vibration
Vibration refers to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point. The oscillations may be periodic such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road.Vibration is occasionally "desirable"...
, magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
or chemicals; are usually networked
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
ly; and are distributed over some area to perform tasks, usually sensing.
Design and engineering
The smartdust concept was introduced, developed, and funded by DARPA due to the potential military applications of the technology. The concept was later expanded upon by Kristofer S. J. PisterKristofer S. J. Pister
Kristofer S. J. Pister is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at University of California, Berkeley and the founder and CTO of Dust Networks...
(University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
) in 2001.. A recent review discusses various techniques to take smartdust in sensor networks beyond millimeter dimensions to the micrometre
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
level.
The Ultra-Fast Systems component of the Nanoelectronics Research Centre at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
is a founding member of a large international consortium which is developing a related concept: smart specks.
See also
- NanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
- TinyOSTinyOSTinyOS is a free and open source component-based operating system and platform targeting wireless sensor networks . TinyOS is an embedded operating system written in the nesC programming language as a set of cooperating tasks and processes. It is intended to be incorporated into smartdust...
- Mesh networkingMesh networkingMesh networking is a type of networking where each node must not only capture and disseminate its own data, but also serve as a relay for other nodes, that is, it must collaborate to propagate the data in the network....
- Wireless sensor networkWireless sensor networkA wireless sensor network consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants and to cooperatively pass their data through the network to a main location. The more modern...
- Utility fogUtility fogUtility fog is a hypothetical collection of tiny robots that can replicate a physical structure. As such, it is a form of self-reconfiguring modular robotics.-Conception:...
External links
- How stuff works: motes
- Open source mote designs and TinyOS operating system from UC Berkeley
- UC Berkeley Smart Dust Project
- Info about smart dust communications
- Sailor research group at UCSD
- SpeckNet research groups based in Scotland
- Web of Sensors "In the wilds of the San Jacinto Mountains, along a steep canyon, scientists are turning 30 acres [121,000 m²] of pines and hardwoods in California into a futuristic vision of environmental study. They are linking up more than 100 tiny sensors, robots, cameras and computers, which are beginning to paint an unusually detailed portrait of this lush world, home to more than 30 rare and endangered species. Much of the instrumentation is wireless. Devices the size of a deck of cards — known as motes, after dust motes..."
- Technologies to watch: motes
- Molecular shuttle power: Smart dust biosensors may be smaller than a grain of sand but they have big potential - an Instant Insight from the Royal Society of ChemistryRoyal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
- http://www.betabatt.com/ Betavoltaic batteries from 2.5 micrometre cubed upwards, 10 to 30 year lifespan.