Smart Matter

The concept of smart matter is the same one as the distributed computing which drives the internet.   Meso computing is an advanced form of information technology which is generally in the area of InfoChemistry.  By using programmable matter to change realities from the inside out, we align ourselves with the emerging trend of everting the virtual universe.  In the future this eversion of reality onto the physical space which we live in will be both transforming and surreal.   

Each computer is a node of information and they are constantly exchanging data.   Popular websites attract traffic from a wide variety of sources and as more people find them they become more visible.   The node of a major site is defined by the routes that people take to get there and the overall population of visitors on the site at any time.   

In this way it is similar to the way cities began to appear, as sites that had good services or terrain advantages (on the internet these are domain names and fast servers) began to attract larger populations.

As we look at the implications of future technologies  in information sharing, and how they will shape the worlds we live in, we begin to get a glimpse into the future of communications.   Smart matter undoubtedly has a role.
  
Advances in nano-technology and RFID sensors have allowed us to create very small devices which each contain a bit of computing power.  The individual parts of this network are very small, perhaps enough to be given with a flu shot, mixing seamlessly in the surrounding fluids.   The particles can then draw power from the body’s own bio-electric systems.   External uses of this new type of pixie dust can coat surfaces either by collecting the way that dust does or by being deliberately embedded into various surfaces.

While each of these pieces is very small, and perhaps even difficult  to notice,  very large collections will potentially have the ability to relay information to each other in a very externalized version of cloud computing.    Collectively this technology is known as speckled computing, gaining its name from the tiny specs of processing power that collectively allow it to aggregate as smart matter.

Collectively, we are far from deeply applying smart matter and nano-technology into our lives, but the patents keep stacking up.   Somewhere out there are labs that are working on bringing this technology into our lives with or without our consent and undoubtedly without consideration for the health and environmental impacts it will bring with it.    

As is typical for our species, the many will be at the mercy of the empowered and knowledgeable few.   Those with the inside track on information will simply deliver the next big breakthrough and leave us to deal with the consequences.

RFID Tracking

The most obvious initial use for smart matter is in conjunction with RFID tracking.    The particles are subject to similar dispersion patterns as weather and are governed by similarly chaotic rules.    As the dust begins to appear on products to secure the unique identity of the item for commercial purposes it will also be highly likely to be absorbed into our bloodstream.    Each of us will deposit these particles in different quantities throughout our stomach lining and blood vessels, in turn each of us will slowly develop a highly unique personal signature which can be read by a relatively unsophisticated reading device.

Other applications, beyond the simple human desire to control the flow of goods and merchandise will be both benign and dangerous.    There is the possibility that a significant quantity of smart matter may actually be able to do things like throw complex switches in the bodies own bio-mechanical system.    

Distributed Networks

We are barely beginning to get a grasp on cloud computing and distributed networks in the electronic world of bits and atoms.    How long will it take us to adapt to the inevitable ubiquitous nature of these technologies as they begin to encroach on physical space?

Positive applications of smart matter technology, assuming our environment and bodies are able to handle it, are another potential offshoot of these advances.    Imagine the power of being able to walk down the street and say a command word to summon a cloud of intelligent matter around you in order to send a message or retrieve data from the wider networks that you are part of.     As this type of material becomes a building block of ordinary items, how smart is the world around you going to become, how fast can information flow and how much can you handle.    

Life in 2030 may be more of a non-stop trip through the swirling realities of super powered senses and hyper real responses to a constantly changing environment than we ever imagined possible.