Smart Dust Technology and Military Applications

The Smart Dust project was funded by DARPA for military

applications, specifically for rapid deployment of

defense

sensor networks onto the battlefield.

Battlefield sensing is inherently about detecting people who

don't

know that they're being detected.

The invisibility and undetectability are deliberate design

priorities. This technology appeared in the public

with

US Patent one one three five four six six six

B one, Smart Dust Usage, which was filed on May

twenty-six, two thousand sixteen and granted on June

seven, two thousand twenty-two. It is assigned to Wells Fargo

Bank and describes a system for authenticating a user

making a payment using Smart Dust.

Smart Dust is technically known as MEMS, Micro

Electro Mechanical Systems, and is comprised of what are called

motes. A mote is a single self-contained

micro sensor node. Each mote measures one cubic

millimeter or less and is roughly the size of a grain of sand.

These motes are released as clouds with thousands of sensor

nodes simultaneously sampling the target from multiple

angles and positions. The biometric data being collected

includes location, facial and body recognition, heart rate,

blood pressure, body temperature, breath rate, voice recognition,

and fingerprint scanning. The system is designed to create a unique

cryptographic signature for every individual based on

biological and behavioral data and is designed to operate

without being noticed. The patent describes the motes as a

cloud around the user. But UC Berkeley researchers

have successfully implanted Smart Dust sensors into

rats in order to monitor and control nerve and muscle activity.

This technology requires no batteries and relies on

ultrasound to draw power. Scientists claim that for humans,

internal Smart Dust devices could monitor vital signs and

could enable control over prosthetics and robotic limbs.

In March two thousand twenty-two, the University of Washington's

Dandelion Breakthrough, partially funded by the US Air Force,

deployed tiny battery-free wireless sensors by

wind inspired by dandelion seeds.

The senior author stated that, "Our prototype suggests that

you could use a drone to release thousands of these devices in a

single drop." In two thousand twenty-four, a large blanket

of fog affected the United Kingdom, the USA, and

Canada. Over twenty thousand travelers in the UK

and three

point eight million drivers in the USA were impacted.

People described it as a thick blanket of fog with a

particle-like appearance, which had an odd chemical,

electrical, or burning smell to it, and many people claimed

to experience fever, coughing, sore throat, headache, and

fatigue after exposure. The fog hit during the Christmas and

New Year travel period when millions were moving around for the

holidays.

A second patent, US one one seven four eight five

seven eight B one, Predictive Text System, was filed in

November two thousand twenty-one and granted on September two

thousand twenty-three to Wells Fargo Bank.

This patent describes a system that uses neural

networks and machine learning to analyze and predict your

financial thoughts and intentions in real time as you

type.

Combined with the biometric data from Smart Dust, this creates a

system that can monitor both what you're physically doing and what you're thinking

about financially. A predictive behavioral

surveillance system designed to be always on and

continuously learning. This is the exact infrastructure

needed for implementing a social credit system.

The Smart Dust market was valued at a hundred

and fifty-three point nine

million dollars in two thousand twenty-four and is estimated to

grow at a compound annual growth rate of over fourteen point

three percent from two thousand twenty-five to two thousand thirty-four.

Industrial use has increased significantly in two thousand

twenty-three and two thousand twenty-four, with integration of artificial

intelligence and machine learning algorithms now allowing

Smart Dust devices to analyze data locally and make

autonomous decisions. This technology is currently moving from

laboratories to public deployment, which has naturally caused

concern. In the nineteen fifties and sixties, the US Army

conducted open-air biological and chemical tests over

American cities without public knowledge or consent.

Greg Reese reporting.

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