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Forming New Mobile Networks With People-Borne Sensors

Posted by timothy on from the game-of-telephone dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this snippet from Medical Daily: "Members of the public could form the backbone of powerful new mobile internet networks by carrying wearable sensors. According to researchers from Queen's University Belfast, the novel sensors could create new ultra high bandwidth mobile internet infrastructures and reduce the density of mobile phone base stations. The engineers from Queen's renowned Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT), are working on a new project based on the rapidly developing science of body centric communications."

5 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. IEEE 802.15.6 Body Area Network Standard by dtmos · · Score: 3, Informative

    The IEEE 802.15.6 task group on body area networks has been standardizing a communication protocol for similar sensor applications, but emphasizing long battery life rather than high data rates.

  2. I'm gonna go Orwellian on yo ass by lanceran · · Score: 3, Informative

    I can see this becoming a tool for survelliance with the ability to track down anyone with a wifi station, which can easily become as popular as cellphones.

    1. Re:I'm gonna go Orwellian on yo ass by lanceran · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I can see this as something most people are not going to want to carry around. Phone, keys, wallet and sunglasses are too much as it is.

      Maybe they can integrate them into purses/man-satchels/bras/brossieres etc. along with wireless recharging and built-in antennas in the straps.

      Give it a few years, cellphones in early 90 had brick-sized batteries and yet people still carried them around, now it is hard to find a phone that is not a miniature wi-fi enabled game console with a video camera that can also make phone calls.

  3. Sure. I'll do that. by blair1q · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Because I've always wanted to be part of a hive.

    Especially one geared towards tracking me and everyone near me.

  4. Re:If it kills off the Internet, then good! by blair1q · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's going to have some technological hurdles to cross, like transatlantic links...unless you like rowing...