Complexity Aided Design: the FuturICT Technological Innovation Paradigm

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of an interconnected electronic earth's skin, emphasizing the role of complex systems science in designing resilient, intelligent, and sensory-enhanced global networks for societal benefit.

Contribution

It introduces a paradigm integrating complexity science into the design of the earth's electronic skin, aiming to enhance resilience, intelligence, and societal relevance.

Findings

The electronic earth's skin will enable new sensory experiences.

Complex systems science can improve resilience and adaptability.

Emerging self-awareness qualities may arise in the network.

Abstract

"In the next century, planet earth will don an electronic skin. It will use the Internet as a scaffold to support and transmit its sensations. This skin is already being stitched together. It consists of millions of embedded electronic measuring devices: thermostats, pressure gauges, pollution detectors, cameras, microphones, glucose sensors, EKGs, electroencephalographs. These will probe and monitor cities and endangered species, the atmosphere, our ships, highways and fleets of trucks, our conversations, our bodies--even our dreams ....What will the earth's new skin permit us to feel? How will we use its surges of sensation? For several years--maybe for a decade--there will be no central nervous system to manage this vast signaling network. Certainly there will be no central intelligence...some qualities of self-awareness will emerge once the Net is sensually enhanced. Sensuality is only one force pushing the Net toward intelligence". These statements are quoted by an interview by Cherry Murray, Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Physics. It is interesting to outline the timeliness and highly predicting power of these statements. In particular, we would like to point to the relevance of the question "What will the earth's new skin permit us to feel?" to the work we are going to discuss in this paper. There are many additional compelling questions, as for example: "How can the electronic earth's skin be made more resilient?"; "How can the earth's electronic skin be improved to better satisfy the need of our society?";"What can the science of complex systems contribute to this endeavour?"