Scientists at York University in Ontario, Canada have worked out a method for taking data and transmitting it via chemicals. With the help of a chemical-based texting system, Nariman Farsad devised a system allowing people to communicate without saying a single word. Originally Farsad’s system used vodka to send messages, but he’s since streamlined the concept. Now bursts of glass cleaner and vinegar are the ingredients to this chemical texting idea.
But the real question is, how does this concept actually work? It is based on the binary code of zeroes and ones, replacing the numbers with glass cleaner and vinegar. Scientists type out the desired message into a computer; from there, the message is broken down into bursts of base (glass cleaner) or acid (vinegar) which travel through glass tubes. When the message is received, a pH sensor determines the various levels of base and acid in the communication; the results are sent on to a computer, which then decodes the message.
Out of all the possible combinations, these particular ingredients were deliberately selected by Farsad. Not only are they easy to find, they have another significant advantage: They cancel each other out once received. That means these chemical messages would self-destruct upon arrival, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to decipher.
Chemical transmitting is the next step forward in information technology. Besides being easily affordable (at least the message part, anyway), it’s wireless and the messages have the added bonus of being practically unbreakable. And there are even more applications for this innovation, such as advances in nanotechnology and disaster-proof messaging systems. We always knew the future of communication would be wireless, but who thought it could come in a liquid form?
