"Intelligent evil dust scattered everywhere like confetti" —Julian Assange's last words before his Internet was permanently cut off"

What can smart dust do?

Outfitted with miniature sensors, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) can detect everything from light to vibrations to temperature. With an incredible amount of power packed into its small size, MEMS combine sensing, an autonomous power supply, computing and wireless communication in a space that is typically only a few millimeters in volume. With such a small size, these devices can stay suspended in an environment just like a particle of dust.