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Cell Phones Could Sniff Out Deadly Chemicals
Hugh Pickens writes "Science Daily reports that Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate's Cell-All is an initiative to equip cell phones with a sensor capable of detecting deadly chemicals. A chip costing less than a dollar would be embedded in cell phones and programmed to alert either the cell phone carrier to the presence of toxic chemicals in the air, and/or a central station that can monitor how many alerts in an area are being received. While one alert might be a false positive, hundreds would indicate the need for evacuation. 'Our goal is to create a lightweight, cost-effective, power-efficient solution,' says Stephen Dennis, Cell-All's program manager. Does this always-on surveillance mean that the govenment can track your precise whereabouts whenever it wants? On the contrary, DHS says; Cell-All will operate only on an opt-in basis and will transmit data anonymously."
Now I have to turn off my cellphone when I cook meth.
You can't take the sky from me.
Hackers will be able to summon black helicopters full of men in white Hazmat suits and have entire city blocks cordoned off.
There'll be an app to detect Colombian dope dealers wandering around with bags full of currency, so we can mug them.
And don't forget the app that sniffs the air around you and occasionally plays the ringtone, "Phew! Somebody farted!"
A chip costing less than a dollar is embedded in a cell phone and programmed to either alert the cell phone carrier to the presence of toxic chemicals in the air ...
Well look on the bright side, the Chinese worker who makes the chip only has to step outside of the factory and turn it on to see if it works on a wide spectrum. Of course who would be foolish enough to risk their job, life, liberty and pursuit of happiness with a complaint about a local government official being bribed into letting your employer pollute to its heart's content?
My work here is dung.
Sounds like "Vapour ware" to me ;)
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AT&T will charge $9.95 a month if you want to receive toxic gas warnings.