The Benefits of Embedded Technology
The scientists are trying to develop the embedded technology in order to aid us in various tasks of our lives. For example they want to create clothes which would be able to detect the vital signs of the soldiers, or they would like to create a mobile phone so small, that it would be able to fit in a tooth. Even if the theories sound impossible, it is very likely that they will exist sometime in the immediate future.
The scientists and the engineers would like to create these small devices which would be attached to people, thus connecting the people into various social networks. A team of scientists wants to create an eye lens which would be able to be used as a computer screen. The wearer would be able to see various pieces of information displayed on it, just like you can see if you play a video game. For example you would look at a certain building, and you would receive information about it: who designed it, when it was created, and so on. Another team of researchers from the University of Washington wants to create a lens which has a tiny radio attached to it, and an LED which can be turned on and off. It does not do too much, besides making the one who wears it look “cool”. The wearer will resemble Terminator from the movie franchise. However, the technology behind the concept is pretty complex.
They want to make the lens much more useful than enhancing the wearer’s appearance. They want to make the lens to be capable of converting electronic signals into displays. This would mean that the wearer would have the possibility of receiving different information on the lens, just like in the case of the project I previously mentioned. They would want to make the lens compatible with various smartphones which might be able to display the spoken words into writing. This might be very helpful for the deaf people, as their lives would be much better thanks to the technology. However, creating these technologies might be kind of difficult, because the scientists have not found a way of providing enough power to the devices.
The devices would be very small, and a battery of those proportions would not be able to last too much. If they make the batteries bigger than the devices then they would be an inconvenience, and not too many people would wear them. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to solve the problem of the batteries. DARPA is one of the most famous agencies in the United States of America, as it was the agency that created the technologies which led to the development of the Global Positioning System devices and of the Internet, which is probable one of the biggest inventions in these last centuries. The problem which they created and which has the task of solving the battery problem is called Energy Starved Electronics. The main concept behind this device is to obtain energy from the human body.
You see, our bodied generate energy; thermal energy which is obtained through heat. We also produce kinetic energy through the movements we make. They decided to use these two energies as energy sources for the devices. They want to convert these two energies into electricity. The person who has the task of converting the energy produced by the human body is Anantha Chandrakasan, an MIT electrical engineering professor. She is collaborating together with Yogesh Ramadass, who is a former student of hers, and she said that the task might be more difficult than she previously thought it would be. In order to capture the kinetic energy obtained from the movements done by the body, they decided to use piezoelectric materials. These materials have the capacity of producing electricity when they are subjected to mechanical pressure. They want to make these materials capable of converting even the slightest movements of the body into electricity.
This would mean that the simple act of walking, moving your hands, or your head would result in electricity for the devices. The device is very small, as it is only a few millimeters wide and long. The device would be a chip and the chip might also be able to use the heat and the cold of the body. The potential of these devices would be immense, as they would be able to provide us with whatever information we desire when we desire it. Soldiers could benefit this in the battle, as they would be able to obtain information about the regions where they are located, and so on. The firefighters might be able to obtain life information about the buildings where they are about to go, such as the plans of the buildings. We could also find out more things about the state of our body, such as our temperature, blood pressure, and many others.
There are many people who believe that these devices will be available by 2050, or even sooner. They say that these devices could change lots of things, as they could simplify lots of our tasks. Of course, there are some who consider these devices to be useless, and who are against them. They say that the devices would change the concept of being human, and would only make is be more robotic. They do not believe that we need these devices on a day to day basis, but they believe that the soldiers and other people who perform dangerous activities might use them. It is unknown if they will be ever used, or if they will ever be available. There have been numerous theories about numerous devices, and many of them never became real. There are many who say that these devices could be useful for the people who have trouble doing day to day activities, such as the ones who have certain health issues. They might be useful in order to aid the muscles, to increase the strength of the legs by sending signals into them.
