Scientists tout "smart dust" for planetary exploration

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow seem to think they're getting closer to sending smart dust where no smart dust has gone before, recently showing off their progress at the National Astronomy Meeting, the BCC reports. According to the university's Dr. John Barker, the pint-sized particles would be able to be crammed into the nose cone of a space craft and let loose into a planet's atmosphere, with the wind carrying them along over great distances. They wouldn't be leaving everything to chance, however, with the dust particles planned to be coated in a plastic sheath that could change shape when given a jolt of electricity, which should alter its course. What's more, the entire swarm of dust particles would also form a mesh network, which the scientists say could even let 'em engage in a little formation flying. Of course, they've yet to actually get their dust down to the size of dust, although they're confident that pace of miniaturization will take care of that little problem in "coming decades."

[Yaktastic @ Apr 18th 2007 11:05AM]

I find it disturbing just how many things in my daily life remind me of the movie Twister... it just wasn't that good of a movie, but once again it comes back

[Luis Zapata @ Apr 18th 2007 11:08AM]

$h!t, this is Michael Crichton's Prey waiting to happen! We're doomed.

[NHAnimator @ Apr 18th 2007 12:30PM]

"this is Michael Crichton's Prey waiting to happen! We're doomed."

Sucky book, but exactly what it sounds like.

[Rohit Kapur @ Apr 18th 2007 11:13AM]

Me after looking at the pic:

Mmmmm... Donut... *Slobber*...

[surfwax95 @ Apr 18th 2007 11:40AM]

@Yaktastic

I hate Bill Paxton.

[Michael Schmitt @ Apr 18th 2007 11:55AM]

... so we've been told all this time by environmentalists that we need to save our planet by picking up our trash and recycling everything that we can, and here we go, our first contact with another planet means we're gonna spread trash all over it before we even set foot on it!!!

Ouch!

[Dan @ Apr 18th 2007 11:58AM]

Mmmm,giant doughnut with pool in the middle! Heaven!

[Yaktastic @ Apr 18th 2007 12:05PM]

@Surfwax95

me too... i really hate that movie (and pretty much any bit of detritus that paxton headlines)

mmmm, donuts

[BDizzleFizzle @ Apr 18th 2007 12:17PM]

I think this is what that black cloud is on "Lost"

[john commenter @ Apr 19th 2007 1:52PM]

It's not Prey. Prey is Frankenstein, adds nothing to that story, Crichton hasn't done anything but screw up his technology for years. It's this: http://people.csail.mit.edu/brooks/papers/fast-cheap.pdf, part 5, plus mesh networks.

[Gold @ Apr 18th 2007 1:25PM]

"pint-sized particles"? We serve beer by the pint here in New Zealand. These guys really have an odd definition of "dust".

[Yubal @ Apr 18th 2007 1:26PM]

interesting...

[Yubal @ Apr 18th 2007 1:27PM]

lol

[bushthevillageidiot @ Apr 18th 2007 3:02PM]

Must have read this book 20 years ago:

Trillions
Nicholas Fisk (Author)

Nicholas Fisk (Author)

Synopsis
A layer of hard, shiny dust covers the village of Harbourtown. The Trillions have landed. But what are they? Where have they come from? In the race to find the answers, the experts are baffled. Only one boy has the power to discover the truth, and to stop a deadly invasion.

[grjohnston @ Apr 19th 2007 1:01PM]

This is a completely unscientific method. It wouldn't be simply modifying the thing you're trying to study, it would be literally blanketing it in changes. They'd better have a method for cleaning these up afterwards. Imagine if life were possible on Mars... and we happen to leave some bacteria or other genetic material on these and then litter them across the planet...