Space is a very dangerous place, and sending men into mission requires hurdling a lot of obstacles, so scientists decided to use unmanned vehicles to explore alien regions instead. It works well in the sense that lives are not at risk, but constant technical difficulties have often derailed projects.

Now, developments are being made so that unmanned missions to other planets will run on minimal costs and better efficiency. University of Glasgow's Dr. John Barker proposes an old concept with new technology: Send "smart dust" where no man or machine can thrive.

Essentially, smart dust particles are computer chips coated with plastic.  The chip inside provides a control link to scientists so that it can be steered and set to sense conditions in the environment. Using an electric charge emitted by the chip, the plastic coating can change its shape so that scientists can control its drift.

The developers of the technology say that the smart dust will explore the planets it will visit as a "swarm" wherein thousands of the tiny plastic-coated chips will be linked via wireless connectivity so that they stay together in flight. "We have a lot of obstacles to overcome before we are even ready to physically test our designs," says Barker.

As early as now, the science community has thought of other means to make the smart dust useful. A military application could be that the dust be used to explore battlefields and enemy territories. Others suggest that mixing the dust with construction-grade materials will allow engineers to monitor the structural integrity of buildings from within the walls.