Mobile - Next generation of networks may be body-to-body networks linking sensors

[into mobile] The next generation of mobile communications maybe driven by small sensors carried by people in their handsets or other mobile devices. This idea of a cellular body-to-body network (BBN) is being researched by a team of engineers at Queen’s Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology in Belfast. This distributed-style network could ease many of the problems associated with the current, single antenna design of most modern cellular networks.

This idea of a BBN inherently makes sense. Rather than rely on a single point antenna, a BBN would send a signal from one person to another via specialized sensors. The sensors could be embedded into mobile handsets, portable electronic devices, cars, and even clothing. People would no longer need to be in range of a cellular tower to make a call. They only need to be near someone else, who is also near someone else, and so on. Of course, this scenario only works when you are in a populated metropolitan area, not a sparse rural area.

Besides being a bit science fiction-y, this form of cellular networking has many real-world benefits. This multi-point network would reduce problems with cell tower overload in populated areas. Heavy mobile usage by large numbers of people could be distributed over a wide network of sensors instead of a single point antenna. Anyone who has been to a sporting event, press event, or concert knows the pain of dropping calls when the local cell towers can’t handle the load.

A BBN also places sensors close to each other, which allows the sensors to send and receive at low power outputs. A device with a low power output would consume less battery life and last longer between charges. Last but not least, the health, environmental, and regulatory red tape associated with cell phone tower construction would be avoided with a public body-to-body network.

While I find the idea of a BBN interesting, the thought of my sensitive data traveling from person to person is a bit unsettling. How long would it take for someone to write an app that would capture your data stream and redirect it to a malicious server? Do you really trust the person next to you or the one next to them?

Body-to-body networks the next wave in mobile telecommunications?