MEMS, nanotechnology and microsystems

Everyday becomes everything more complex, as professors Kang and Cuf said “Now, add to these miniature computing-communication devices (Active RFID tags) the functionality provided by recent advances in microelectricalmechanical systems (MEMS). Computing elements can now have sensors to measure the physical world and actuators that initiate physical response.” Jerry Kang and Dana Cuff. “Pervasive Computing: Embedding the Public Sphere”

But what is MEMS?

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) is the technology of the very small, and merges at the nanoscale into "Nanoelectromechanical Systems". Source Wilipedia

I was reading another incredible paper, that I recommend you, Living in a World of Smart Everyday Objects – Social, Economic and Ethical Implications by Jürgen Bohn, Vlad Coroama, Marc Langherinrich, Friedemann Mattern and Michael Rohs, from of Department of Computer Science of Institute for Pervasive Computing, ETH Zurich and they said “ A further step towards the now economy is the constant monitoring of critical product parameters (e.g.,of temperature-sensitive goods such as chemicals or groceries) by tiny wireless sensors. Equipped withcommunications capabilities, such “introspective” goods are not only able to monitor themselves, but can also communicate relevant parameters to the outside world” (Fleisch 2002). See note

So, to learn more about privacy, social implications and nanotechnology we can visit the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University, the center explores issues like privacy and security, in fact they have this program: TRC Program 1: Freedom, Privacy and Security, TRC 1 Leaders: George Poste and Torin Monahan

“Goal: To develop theory and explore cases of surveillance and sensing nanotechnologies, including issues of effectiveness, potential ubiquity and embeddedness, and impacts on practices of surveillance and on the individuals and communities subject to surveillance.”

And finally at CNS website I have found this link to RAND Coporation, and its latest publication: The Global Technology Revolution 2020, Executive Summary.

By the way RAND has a special research area on Privacy, Security, and Electronic Surveillance.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -
Note: (Fleisch E. 2002. Von der Vernetzung von Unternehmen zur Vernutzung von Dingen. In: Schögel M, Tomczak T, Belz C (eds). 2002. Roadm@p to E-Business – Wie Unternehmen das Internet erfolgreichnutzen. Thexis, St. Gallen, pp 124–135