NanoIntroduction to the Internet of Nano-Things. Part 2
“Theories prove nothing, but allow you to buy time and relax if you are completely confused, trying to find what is impossible to find.”
Mark Twain
Before our eyes, IoNT is already emerging from the conceptual stage of development and becoming the subject of research in many laboratories around the world. These studies go a wide front from the creation of self-regulating nanogrids and their nanoelements to real applications in various areas of the life of our civilization. Naturally, all this raises a lot of non-technical issues, the main of which is, as always - where are we going?
IoNT Network Architecture
Regardless of the application, the networks for IoNT will consist of a set of the following components.
- Nano-nodes are the smallest and simplest nanomachines that perform tasks such as computing and transmitting data over short distances. They have a small memory. Nano-nodes can be considered, for example, biological sensors installed in the human body.
- Nano-routers, which have more computing power compared to nano-nodes and act as aggregators of information coming from nano-nodes. Nano-routers also play a crucial role in managing nano-nodes by transmitting exchange control commands.
- The nano-micro interface devices perform the task of aggregating information from nano-routers and transmit it to the micro level and in the opposite direction. They act as hybrid devices for communication at the nanoscale using nanocommunication technologies, as well as traditional communication networks using classic network protocols.
- Gateways that allow you to remotely control your network through the Internet. For example, with the help of a gateway, all data from sensors of the human body can be accessed by doctors across the planet in all places where there is Internet.
IoNT Applications
As for the possible IoNT applications, scientists have already learned how to compress sensors of millimeter or micron sizes to nanometer: small enough to wander around the body of a living person (almost exactly like in Spielberg’s film “Interior Space”) and directly mix into building materials in order to control the strength of the structure. This is an important first step towards IoNT, which can take medicine, energy efficiency and many other industries to a whole new level.
Much literally lies on the surface. First of all, these are biomedical applications, including bio-hybrid implants, glucose monitoring, heart monitoring, monitoring of brain pathologies, epilepsy or depression, drugs with nano-membranes for delivery to the tumor and its targeted destruction.
More effective environmental monitoring of temperature, humidity and air pollution in real time using nano-sensors at railway stations, bus stops, airports, hotels, restaurants and other public places, and even in transport itself.
The use of IoNT in agriculture will lead to the development of agricultural applications with monitoring, in addition to the environment, of crop growth, weed growth, field conditions, fertilizing the soil, spreading pests, the use of pesticides and insecticides, as well as animal health.
It is no secret that the defense sector is also one of the priorities in IoNT. Among other things, IoNT will be used for radiation, biological and chemical protection. Currently, state and intergovernmental organizations are creating emergency management information systems. In particular, in the European Union, Osiris and Sany projects have developed standards and tools to support the interoperability of sensor networks and web-based touch services, which facilitates their use in emergency warning and response systems. Supplementing these programs with IoNT achievements is a matter of time.
In general, the creation and implementation of the IoT / IoNT concept will provide society with new, previously inaccessible communication network services for monitoring and managing any objects up to any biomass, including humans, both in the macrocosm, microworld, and in the nanoworld. The implementation of this concept requires the creation of self-organizing networks, which, unlike the existing infrastructure networks, have a trillion customer base and are more similar to the living world than just communication networks. This contributes to the implementation of biosimilar algorithms in the network infrastructure, i.e. algorithms based on the behavior of colonies in the living world, based on the principles of swarm intelligence (SI), which have proved to be quite useful for solving routing problems in self-organizing networks. So, mankind will once again try using technology to come closer to repeating what nature has long created. Swarm intelligence is a section of the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and consists of several groups of algorithms, including, for example, Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Bee Colony Algorithms, and Firefly Algorithms (Firefly Algorithms).
Recently, new types of patterns have appeared that are based on the so-called “Lévy flights”, namely, the algorithm of shark attacks, the algorithms of wandering albatrosses, bumblebees and deer males during the rut, the algorithm for finding nutrients by bacteria such as Escherichia coli ( she is E. coli). They are already in use or will be used for self-organizing networks of IoT and IoNT applications in the near future.
IoNT industrial applications theoretically have no limits, but for starters they will be used to control the quality of products and water, as well as to create modified materials and fabrics. Actually, this is an important part of future digital enterprises.
The financial sector, enthusiastic about blockchain technologies, will be able to unambiguously differentiate real and fake banknotes, and all real ones will carry information about the place and time of their manufacture, and the information confirming this will be stored in all banks in the world.
The environmental sector intends to use IoNT in the interests of controlling and intensifying biological degradation, managing livestock and crop production, and also to control air pollution. Millions of nano-dust particles can not only determine the degree of pollution, but also localize its source. Over time, they (or rather, their developers) will learn how to deal with flying dirt, and then, perhaps, they will take on viruses.
All kinds of “cloud” technologies, their advantages and problems in terms of downloading communication networks, preserving personal data and cybersecurity, can undergo serious changes due to the emergence of nano-databases (databases) or even nano-data centers, which every individual can always have himself just like he always wears his head on his shoulders.
The creation of smart organs is a definite paradigm shift in healthcare. For example, miniature organs with the ability to analyze the human body can revolutionize medical research and create new drugs. Miniature sensors will explore our body in a completely new format. Or the development of tissue engineering can completely change the approach to the diagnosis and treatment of skin, blood vessels, bones and various organs of a person, not to mention prosthetics. Using nanomaterials and nanosensors, it is possible to stimulate cell growth, control the 3D printing of new organs, and they can also get into the tissues of a nanomachine directly in the process of 3D printing. Nanomachines and nanosensors can reside in organs and provide unprecedented functions. For example, a real eye can be integrated with a lens, the functionality of which may be wider than that of GoogleGlass glasses. Somewhere you can expand blood flow in time, somewhere to restore disturbances in neural connections.
In general, with the help of IoNT it is possible to create a parallel control system in the human body, and if his native (i.e., innate) system cannot perform its functions well, its work can be adjusted. And you can also diagnose the body in much the same way as computer diagnostics of modern cars are carried out today. And for this you will not need to invite a doctor - it will be enough to "wirelessly" connect a computer to yourself and use the appropriate programs. It is possible that an interface for such a connection like Wi-Fi will be built into all computers and smartphones of the future.
Further developing these ideas, some futurologists have already come to the idea of creating the so-called planetary neuronet by combining human "brains" using a bunch of IoT / IoNT on a global scale. The idea itself is quite simple - since the capabilities of the current Internet are very limited and do not allow direct transfer of life experience and emotions (emotions) from the brain to the brain, you should raise the quality of communications to a whole new level, which will dramatically increase the effectiveness of teamwork and open up new opportunities areas of study. So far, electrodes are used to pick up signals from the brain, but someday the IoNT fragment that has an output to the IoT will take on the role of a “built-in" person. Communication protocols will be developed, based on digital models of mental processes and found approaches to the organization of "collective consciousness", capable of "brainstorming" and solving problems that require the concerted efforts of many people. In the modern world, many problems arise due to the fact that people cannot agree with each other on the sharing of certain resources. By organizing a kind of “collective mind”, neuronet seems to help solve these problems. Actually, the neuronet appears to be “perfectors of humanity” as one of the network fragments of the Internet of things. Only its “nodes” are not smartphones, tablets and laptops, but human brains equipped with inclusive or non-inclusive electronics. And maybe not even electronics at all. requiring the concerted efforts of many people. In the modern world, many problems arise due to the fact that people cannot agree with each other on the sharing of certain resources. By organizing a kind of “collective mind”, neuronet seems to help solve these problems. Actually, the neuronet appears to be “perfectors of humanity” as one of the network fragments of the Internet of things. Only its “nodes” are not smartphones, tablets and laptops, but human brains equipped with inclusive or non-inclusive electronics. And maybe not even electronics at all. requiring the concerted efforts of many people. In the modern world, many problems arise due to the fact that people cannot agree with each other on the sharing of certain resources. By organizing a kind of “collective mind”, neuronet seems to help solve these problems. Actually, the neuronet appears to be “perfectors of humanity” as one of the network fragments of the Internet of things. Only its “nodes” are not smartphones, tablets and laptops, but human brains equipped with inclusive or non-inclusive electronics. And maybe not even electronics at all. By organizing a kind of “collective mind”, neuronet seems to help solve these problems. Actually, the neuronet appears to be “perfectors of humanity” as one of the network fragments of the Internet of things. Only its “nodes” are not smartphones, tablets and laptops, but human brains equipped with inclusive or non-inclusive electronics. And maybe not even electronics at all. By organizing a kind of “collective mind”, neuronet seems to help solve these problems. Actually, the neuronet appears to be “perfectors of humanity” as one of the network fragments of the Internet of things. Only its “nodes” are not smartphones, tablets and laptops, but human brains equipped with inclusive or non-inclusive electronics. And maybe not even electronics at all.
However, it seems that we were carried away and delved deeply into the future. Let's say a few words about him.
The future of IoNT
Put aside forecasts of market size and the number of connected devices. It’s too early to talk about the first ones: let at least the “elder brother” —IoT — show his economic benefits first. It is useless to talk about the latter, because even millions of nanodevices can be located in a rather limited space, and this will prove nothing.
As for the future, undoubtedly, amazing success awaits the development of IoNT. As for the users in the person of humanity, then for him there will be not only certain conveniences, but also unprecedented risks. Take at least the transition from smart nanosensors to IoNT. For example, it is difficult to integrate all the necessary components into an autonomous nanodevice that will register any change and transmit a signal to the Internet. It is also difficult to resolve all particular and security issues. Any nanodevices included in the body, intentionally or through negligence, can be toxic or cause an immune response.
Unfortunately, this is by no means always a matter of technology. Of course, such technology can be used for illegal surveillance, but this is just one of many risks. And there is a suspicion that it is necessary to build on risks before writing about the future successes of IoNT. In order not to go into long philosophical discussions, we present the difference between IoT and IoNT words from the works of two domestic classics of literature.
Who remembers, in “Moidodyr” by Korney Chukovsky “... and the pillow, like a frog, rode away from me.” Similarly, in IoT, you can remove certain things from your submission. However, there is still hope that vital, as well as military and especially dangerous objects will not be connected to the Internet, if only because the attack is always ahead of defense, and cybersecurity always works with what has already happened, while hackers coming up with a new cyber hazard.
But Ivan Efremov in “Bull Hour” has a man from the distant and largely perfect future Fai Rodis, on whom there is nothing but thin armor of a tight-fitting suit, answers the mocking question of the supreme ruler of the planet Tormans Choio Chagas - a sort of “cast from a modern man” - about whether she can kill him. “I can,” says Fay Rodis in an ingenuous manner. “I can simply order you to die, and your heart will stop, but why?” The “modern” comrade immediately shies away with poorly concealed fear, and the man of the future sincerely wonders what actually happened - they don’t kill us.
It’s no secret that if, with the help of IoNT, it will be possible, for example, to kill easily, they will be required to kill. The first murder via the Internet, by the way, happened back in the mid-90s by remote shutdown of the life support system in the intensive care unit. And they will kill, as usual, for money, for property, for power, out of envy and just like that. Someone has to stop the heart, someone has changed the sugar in the blood, someone has broken something inside or clogged ... And somewhere, with the help of nanodusts, it’s possible to clean the whole continent.
IoT, for example, will be the next and logical goal of cybercriminals. Well, how can all many billions of “things” be infected with something? For intelligence, economic, criminal and other purposes, as well as just out of interest. According to cybersecurity experts, the number of threats in their part only increases over the years.
But how, for example, having taken up the solution of a planetary problem with the help of collective consciousness, what if you suddenly feel an idiot, a maniac or just a greed in yourself? There are millions of them, and how to get rid of them? Will we put idiots and dishonorable people on intellectual reservations by restricting access? Or rather, just turn into them ourselves? For example, the Chinese are already planning to segregate the population according to the degree of loyalty to the state, accepted ethical standards, credit history, behavior in public places, etc., etc., so that all benefits are accessible only to worthy members of society. And what about the unworthy? As is known from physics, broadband noise “clogs” a narrowband useful signal, and it is time for sociologists to study this physics.
There are many more aspects related to nanotechnology that make you think. For example, it is possible that in the near future, athletes will use a variety of implant chips with various sensors, and even muscle stimulants (instead of doping), which, of course, in itself is a violation of sports ethics. But does everyone stop doping bans today? This will simply be the next step in the struggle to become faster higher and stronger. And it’s easy to imagine how vulnerable they can become to hackers hired by competitors. In particular, it will be possible to make the object lag with the movements of the limbs or slightly miss from the right moment.
Given that, even without plunging into the depths of IoNT, invasion of privacy can be carried out using fake information somewhere in the personal space of a social network and using fake content dedicated to the object of attack, when the latter can appear in any generated unpleasant plot. Medical and other secrets of citizens can become publicly available not in a purely information key, but directly in the physical with all the attendant risks. In turn, directly or indirectly, IoNT carries, above all, a threat already directly to the human body. In general, fantasies here can be very diverse, but all of them will contain potential threats, the causes of which are in a single information environment, which mankind has not learned to use. As a result, nothing can be trusted in the digital world - absolutely everything can turn out to be fake, fake, stolen, stealing or life-threatening. And the fact that, it would seem, should accelerate the progress of society, meets from this society such sophisticated use that sometimes it is forced to seriously curtail its progressive capabilities. Each such innovation requires careful support, so as not to turn, for example, from a learning resource into another informational drug.
Так что мало создать технологию, надо суметь правильно пользоваться ею. Есть стойкое ощущение, что, с одной стороны, человек попросту не готов к использованию новых возможностей, в том числе с планетарным или персональным охватом. С другой стороны, у человека нет иного выхода, как что-то преодолеть в себе, дабы увеличить коэффициент полезного действия от применения новых технологий. По иронии судьбы сами по себе новые технологии не оставляют человеку иного выхода, кроме как измениться. И это будет непросто, потому что в человеческой природе ничего не изменяется с невероятно удаленных времен, описанных еще в Библии. И если бы в руках Каина или Иуды был, к примеру, iPhone, разве сильно бы изменилось их поведение? Скорее, был бы другим масштаб…
И еще раз о прошлом IoNT
Да, кстати, недавно в нашем саду на рябине совсем не было ягод, и зимы практически не было. Откуда рябина знала это? Быть может, потому что в природе давно действуют свои IoT, IoNT и даже своеобразный нейронет, но, правда, основанные на других технологических принципах? Но главное, на другой этике, которой, к сожалению, пока лишен т.н. «венец творения». В общем, тут есть, над чем поработать, потому как, словами братьев Стругацких, «именно то, что наиболее естественно, менее всего подобает человеку».
Автор публикации: Александр Голышко, к.т.н., системный аналитик компании «Техносерв»
По материалам: electronics.ru, vestnik-sviazy.ru, pcweek.ru, rucont.ru, news.bitcoin.com, sut.ru, NanoNewsNet.ru, startup.today, club.esetnod32.ru, internetofthings.ru