Posted on 06/10/2006 1:05:54 PM PDT by strategofr
For the last ten years, development of "smart dust" has moved right along. "Smart Dust" is basically very miniaturized electronic devices. This is similar to stuff like RFID, smart cards, EZ Pass and those rice grain size tracking devices you can have injected into your pets.
But Smart Dust takes this all to a new level by being small enough to be disguised as dirt, the kind you can pick up in your shoes or clothing. Each bit of Smart Dust can be given a unique serial number that, when hit with an "interrogation signal" from troops on the ground, or aircraft overhead, is broadcast back. Some forms of Smart Dust are believed to be in use in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's also believed that Smart Dust played a role in the recent death of al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi. In this case, if someone were able to sprinkle some Smart Dust on Zarqawi's clothing, it would have been a simple matter to track him with great precision. Iraqis have already heard of this stuff, but regard it more as "magic dust." Iraqis have a tendency to exaggerate American capabilities, especially when it comes to technology. But U.S. troops have learned to use this exaggerated reputation to their advantage, threatening Iraqis with magical capabilities that don't exist. That often works, just like smart dust.
Wow.
Ashes to Ashes, smart dust to dust
HA! HA! HA!
Smart dust.
Just don't tell them about the trained mosquitoes or the 'special' cockroaches.
Gingrich? Neat. We could use more Republicans like him!
I've always wondered if we are baggin' and taggin' these terrorists that we catch and later release.
ITs weird but I hear there are many people in Iraq that actually believe in Genies
unbelievable. The MSM is determined to give away all of our secrets.
I suppose it's possible, but to my knowledge, smart dust still suffers from two problems that limit its effectiveness: power and range. It needs a power source, and so far as I know, there hasn't been a good solution. There's been work on photovoltaic sources and on electrostatic sources, but I'm not aware of any breakthroughs yet. And even if a power source is found, the devices can't radiate much RF power because that would quickly drain it. Smart dust is designed to network to its neighbors and extend the range that way, but if you sprinkled it on somebody and he walked off, he'd quickly carry the dust out of range of its neighbors. I imagine you could drop the stuff over a large area, so that there would always be neighbors, but it seems unlikely that you'd have enough of it to be so profligate in the current level of development.
Interesting thought though. If it isn't being used in this way right now, I have no doubt that it's just a matter of time before it is. One scenario I foresee is that smart dust will eventually have video and GPS capability, and people will release it into the air to drift about. They'll have the ability to have live video from any place the dust drifts. It'll be like having a camera pretty much anywhere somebody wants one. Scary idea in many ways.
Regarding that bridge from California to Hawaii. How many lanes would you like?
Smart dust?
That's nothing.
I have "Itching Powder" and "Sneezing Powder"!
I got it from my Johnson & Smith catalog!
;-)
The MSM is determined to give away all of our secrets.
Smart Dust Ping List
If you want on or off this ping list, it's too bad. We're tracking you anyways.
LOL... that'll fu_k their heads up... but good.
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