Can Nanotechnology Help Increase Tornado Warning Times?

ALBANY, N.Y. - May 22, 2013 - PRLog -- Meteorology veteran, Dr. John Manobianco of MESO, Inc. is currently working to create a nanotechnology-enabled environmental observing system known as GlobalSense. GlobalSense can be thought of as the environmental sensing application of “Smart Dust”—large numbers of low-cost smart sensors that measure temperature, pressure, and humidity.  As far-fetched as this idea might seem, Manobianco was recently funded by the National Science Foundation to further explore this idea.  For more information please go to http://meso.com/documents/Manobianco_NSF_IIP-1214591_final_project_report.pdf.  The results show that harnessing nanotechnology for environmental monitoring is likely much closer than many may realize.  In addition, GlobalSense could potentially help increase warning times for tornadoes—like those recently seen in Oklahoma—as well as other severe storms.  


How Will GlobalSense Work?

As a technology, the GlobalSense system can be broken down into three different parts:  small (centimeter-scale) probes that weigh less than a gram and drift freely in the air; the method for deploying these probes; and the technique for retrieving data from the probes.  GlobalSense probes are envisioned to float in the air in a manner similar to dandelion seeds or small pieces of dust or pollen.  These probes will likely be deployed at higher altitudes using aircraft or balloons, after which time they will slowly drift to the ground.  Once the probes have measured temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind velocity they will transmit their data by way of ultra-low power signals to mobile or fixed receivers using a signal processing technique known as forward error correction. This is a proven technique that has been used by GPS satellites and cellular telephone networks.    

How Can GlobalSense Benefit the Field of Meteorology?  

Manobianco explained it this way, “These little probes are expected to provide measurement accuracy equivalent to or even better than currently accepted instrumentation. This is because larger numbers of these small probes can be deployed. The idea here is to give the meteorology community the types of in-situ data at higher resolutions than are currently available. Such data could lead to a greater understanding of weather phenomena which in turn can increase forecasting accuracy and warning times.”      

The Origins of GlobalSense

The preliminary ideas for GlobalSense originated more than a decade ago and were inspired by the blockbuster film “Twister” as well as advances in both microsystems and nanotechnology.  Manobianco has been pursing various aspects of the technology’s development since that time through a mix of internal R&D efforts as well as research projects sponsored by NASA, the Air Force, and the Department of Defense’s blue sky agency, DARPA—which has shown a keen interest in developing a “Smart Dust” system for a variety of defense-related applications.  

What’s Next for Manobianco and His Team?  

“Right now, we’re actively reaching out to equity investors in private industry, plus we’re dialoguing with funding agencies and end-users within the government,” Manobianco began.  “Things have really heated up since we completed our work for NSF.  To be honest, it’s a really exciting time in both meteorology and technology.  I’ve been working on this concept for many years, and to see that it’s now possible to create a nanotechnology-enable sensing system for my field—one that may ultimately lead to increased warning times—is extremely rewarding.”