The Internet of Things is built through sensors that are attached to things. These inexpensive microsensors and microprocessors pair with tiny power supplies and wireless antennas to transform everything from computers and mobile gadgets to ordinary things of the physical world; cars, locks, trackers and thermostats etc. In the field of IoT, Nanoscale devices have played a very important role, taking things into an entirely new dimension.
According to a report produced on Top Ten Emerging Technologies of 2016 by World Economic Forum, one of the prominent technological advances shaping lives is named as “Internet of Nano Things,” which is characterized by the seamless communication and transmission of data.
The main focus of Internet of Nano Things (IoNT) is improved processing capabilities at a lower cost. Analysts have already predicted that the estimated amount of IoT devices produced will reach up to 30 billion by the end of 2020.
Internet of Things: Story of the Past
The artificial intelligence system present in the Internet of Things made ordinary things have amazing capabilities. For example, a house can unlock itself automatically on the arrival of its owner, or a device that can monitor someone’s heart condition.
The crucial first step towards the Internet of Nano Things already started when scientists shrunk the size of the sensors from millimeters to nanometers. This evolution and explosion of connected items have led scientists to a way, where the field of medicine, energy and many other sectors are molded into a new dimension.
Imagine a device (nanometer sized), which is small enough to circulate within a human body or to mix with the materials (construction materials), changing the paradigm as a whole.
Advancements
Advanced Nano sensors crafted till this date are thought to be crafted using both the tools of synthetic biology (modification of single cell organism: bacteria) and non-biological material (Carbon nanotubes). Biological Nano sensors make the use of DNA and proteins for the recognition of any chemical target, storing that information and then conveying/updating the status in the form of some sort of detectable signal.
They are used for the treatment of metabolic disorders. Likewise, carbon nanotubes act as wireless antennas which are responsible to not only sense, but also signal information after collecting it for the integration of data and status to be updated to show any changes.
Challenges
The challenges that scientists have to face because of this transition from macro to nano are inevitable. Integration of all the components into one single nano device for the detection and transmission of the signal is the biggest hurdle.
Privacy and safety always have been one of the unresolved issues. On another note, these nano devices (mostly produced by startups) could be toxic leading to even bigger problems.
CONCLUSION
Scientists can already foresee detailed and inexpensive pictures of our body, industries, our cities, and homes. Traffic light these days and surveillance cameras are already connected to the internet. So, the future would be billions of nano sensors successfully transmitting real time information.
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