# Smart Dust and Human Chattel

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-sunday-afternoon-podcast-with-greg-reese-5721719/smart-dust-and-human-chattel
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-sunday-afternoon-podcast-with-greg-reese-5721719/smart-dust-and-human-chattel.md
Podcast: [The Sunday afternoon podcast with Greg Reese](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-sunday-afternoon-podcast-with-greg-reese-5721719)
Published: 2026-04-30T14:12:02+00:00
Episode link: https://gregreese.substack.com/p/smart-dust-and-human-chattel
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/195810552/fbacd1369173745bf0c45a7caf99d0c7.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-sunday-afternoon-podcast-with-greg-reese-5721719/episodes/smart-dust-and-human-chattel
Duration seconds: 325

## Resource

The Smart Dust project was funded by DARPA for military applications — specifically for rapid deployment of defense sensor networks onto the battlefield. Battlefield sensing is inherently about detecting people who don’t know they’re being detected. The invisibility and undetectability are deliberate design priorities. This technology appeared in the public with US Patent 11,354,666 B1, “Smart Dust Usage”, which was filed on May 26, 2016, and granted on June 7, 2022. It is assigned to Wells Fargo Bank and describes a system for authenticating a user making a payment using “smart dust.” Smart Dust is technically known as MEMS, microelectromechanical systems, and is comprised of what are called motes. A mote is a single, self-contained micro-sensor node. Each mote measures one cubic millimeter or less, and is roughly the size of a grain of sand. These ‘motes’ are released as clouds, with thousands of sensor nodes simultaneously sampling the target from multiple angles and positions. The Biometric data being collected includes: location, facial and body recognition, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, breath rate, voice recognition, and fingerprint scanning. The system is designed to create a unique cryptographic signature for every individual based on biological and behavioral data, and is designed to operate without being noticed. The patent describes the motes as a “cloud” around the user, but UC Berkeley researchers have successfully implanted smart dust sensors into rats in order to monitor and control nerve and muscle activity. This technology requires no batteries and relies on ultrasound to draw power. Scientists claim that for humans, internal smart dust devices could monitor vital signs, and could enable control over prosthetics and robotic limbs. In M…

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