Saving the World With Cell Phones

[Kris Kumar]

http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,68485,00.html

"As cell phones evolve to include souped-up games, streaming video and MP3 players, some University of California at Berkeley professors and graduate students want to slip a pollution detector into the mix. They are working to develop cheap wireless sensors that, once fitted inside cell phones, could sniff out anything from biological weapons to traffic patterns. While the sensors might not be a typical cell-phone add-on, those involved in the research claim the sheer number of mobile phones in use could make such a system a boon for worldwide data collection and problem solving. Wireless sensors are already used throughout the world to track things like landslides and pollution. These can be expensive, though, thanks to costs for batteries and radios. R.J. Honicky, a computer science Ph.D. student working on the software components of the project, estimates a single sensor with battery and radio costs about $70. Enter cell phones, which already come equipped with a radio mechanism and battery, and increasingly include GPS capabilities."

I like this idea a lot. I wouldn't mind having a couple of sensors on my Smartphone, even if they are not helping me directly. After all it is for a worthwhile cause. Maybe with these sensors we can really call our Smartphones smart. ;-) What are your thoughts?

[Kris Kumar]

http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,68485,00.html

"As cell phones evolve to include souped-up games, streaming video and MP3 players, some University of California at Berkeley professors and graduate students want to slip a pollution detector into the mix. They are working to develop cheap wireless sensors that, once fitted inside cell phones, could sniff out anything from biological weapons to traffic patterns. While the sensors might not be a typical cell-phone add-on, those involved in the research claim the sheer number of mobile phones in use could make such a system a boon for worldwide data collection and problem solving. Wireless sensors are already used throughout the world to track things like landslides and pollution. These can be expensive, though, thanks to costs for batteries and radios. R.J. Honicky, a computer science Ph.D. student working on the software components of the project, estimates a single sensor with battery and radio costs about $70. Enter cell phones, which already come equipped with a radio mechanism and battery, and increasingly include GPS capabilities."

I like this idea a lot. I wouldn't mind having a couple of sensors on my Smartphone, even if they are not helping me directly. After all it is for a worthwhile cause. Maybe with these sensors we can really call our Smartphones smart. ;-) What are your thoughts?

[HalM]

Great. :roll: This is just what we need: A legion of “pollution Nazis” running around. I can see it now, a neighbor taking a picture or sticking their phone in my exhaust as I start my vintage sports car and trying to send the EPA after me. That is sure to make the world a better place.

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by HalM

Great. :roll: This is just what we need: A legion of “pollution Nazis” running around. I can see it now, a neighbor taking a picture or sticking their phone in my exhaust as I start my vintage sports car and trying to send the EPA after me. That is sure to make the world a better place.

Hrm... Ok, so there are some down sides to this. If it was done right, it could be useful. I'm just not sure that they could do it "right".