Nanotechnology in security systems.
Moreover, nanoparticles are so small that the human eye cannot track them. For security systems, the ability to hide the presence of sensors is a huge plus, because in this case, the intruder will not even be able to notice the presence of a security system.
That is why nanotechnology has recently been actively used to create access and passport control systems and anti-terrorist means.
Nanotechnology is studied and developed in almost all developed countries. Russia is also keeping up with the scientific world, and for several decades has been working on improving security systems through the use of nanotechnology.
There are several areas of security systems in which nanotechnology is now being actively implemented. Thus, nanotechnology allows the creation of:
Various types of sensors (this includes “smart dust” sensors, and sensors for determining pressure in tunnels, and analyzers that allow detecting a fire even before the immediate combustion of a room).
Anti-terrorist protection (analyzers and sensors for explosives and flammable substances).
Access and passport control systems (nanotags on passes, special high-tech locks, electronic passports with nanomemory).
In addition to these areas, nanotechnology is used to protect information, and there are also a number of other areas in which nanotechnology will also take its rightful place in the near future.
Intelligent sensors «smart dust» — this is one of the most innovative ways of using nanotechnology in security systems. Such sensors are necessary to record changing parameters of the environment. The concept of «smart dust» originally appeared in the science fiction novel by Stanislav Lem, and in 2001, Californian scientist Christopher Pister introduced this term into science. «Smart dust» is a whole network of individual nodes that record environmental parameters and transmit the received information to each other. Each such sensor has its own computing processor and micromemory, and also has the property of switching with other sensors. At the initial stages of the development of this technology, in addition to the sensors themselves, gateways were used in the networks that collected information from a separate group of sensors and transmitted it further. The main problem that the creators of «smart dust» sensors are now concerned about is the method of powering such a network.
The first «smart dust» was not exactly dust. Each sensor was 3 by 3 cm in size. The first generation of «smart dust» sensors was released by Intel. The second generation of sensors made it possible to reduce the size of the dust by half, which made them closer to the original designs.
«Smart dust» is used, for example, to record vibrations in pipelines. The military is also interested in the active development of this technology. It is believed that an entire «army» of such microrobots will be able to capture even a tank. Accordingly, «smart dust» can also be used for protection or surveillance. In security systems, «smart dust» can be used to protect the perimeter of a certain object.
Another promising area of development of nanotechnology in security systems is the smallest marks on passes and passports. This technology is introduced in order to reduce the number of counterfeit passports and other documents. After all, it is almost impossible to counterfeit the smallest signs and marks in a passport, which means that this technology will reduce the number of fake documents. Nanotechnology will allow leaving in a passport not only a photo of its owner, but also, for example, a three-dimensional image of his face or fingerprints. Thanks to nanomemory and nanotechnology, such a security system has ceased to seem fantastic, which once again proves that nanotechnology is truly the technology of the future.
Nanotags can also be placed on electronic locks. This technology allows to increase the service life of locks, especially in systems that work with chemically active substances.
Another promising area of application of nanotechnology is systems for detecting explosives or toxic substances that can be transported by terrorists. This system is called an «electronic nose», and it also uses a whole array of sensors. Each sensor (or analyzer) reacts only to a certain substance or gas and, depending on its content in the air, produces a certain indicator. Based on the indicators of the array of sensors, it is possible to clearly determine the chemical composition of a particular substance. Such a system allows you to instantly identify risks and protect citizens from terrorist attacks.