Folks,
First of all, thanks to The Fool for scouting this -- it's an interesting
read, and it jibes with the experience I'm having with the radio in my
Honda recently (the battery went dead due to a broken thermostat that
left the electric radiator fan running all night, now the "anti-theft"
radio won't play until I get the security code from a dealer).
Unfortunately, his analysis seems to reason from the conclusion that
greedy corporations will force us to buy products that they alone control
and that people will buy 'em anyway.
Imagine ford makes a car, where only ford authorized technicians are<snip, snip, snip>
capable of servicing, fixing, diagnosing problems with, or installing new
parts.
Ford 'owns' the car, and you use it as long as ford (or the government)
allows you to. Perhaps the next time you stop by the Toyota Car lot Ford
will decide to revoke your ability to use your car.
Ummm. So don't buy a Ford.
Intelligent fastening removes the physical link between the tool and fastener. Designed with actuating mechanisms, intelligent fasteners feature embedded microchips that control the fastening process through digital instructions from a remote tool.
(Fool: Enabling The Manufacturer to have a complete monopoly on all
parts, all 'tools' to open, fix, modify, or release, any and all parts of
the vehicle.)
That is, until someone hacks the protocol. To some, a lock is an invitation
to be picked. First, you'll get spam advertising "Ford screw descramblers"
and be able to find them at the flea market. Six months later, you'll be
able to buy "Ford-compatible" smart-screw tools at Pep Boys.
Sensing. Integrated sensors within intelligent fasteners could be
programmed to detect, analyze and report urgent problems. As telematics
progress, fastener information could be transmitted in real time to
service centers, documenting product performance, status, wear and tear,
and maintenance procedures. Embedded sensors could signal impending
performance failure of critical parts or assemblies based on wear
parameters.
(Fool: And when a part malfunctions? They could also have parts that
'Expire' after a certain date, no matter whether they work properly or
not. And the manufacturer could force you to upgrade whether you want to
or not.)
Until, that is, they go out of business because people are too smart to buy their stupid self-destructing cars.
Customization. Intelligent fasteners could allow easy part change-out in
aftermarket customization while giving OEMs greater control of genuine
parts.
(Fool: again like the printer manufactures, this technology is designed
for the express purpose of creating a parts monopoly, where competitors
are not able to make a competing part that work with the vehicle at all.)
That's certainly one view of what's going on here. Now, oddly, I'm going
to play the role of corporate apologist. Perhaps it is also possible that
they are trying to reduce their service costs from having to deal with
people who try to jerry-rig something together and get it all botched up.
I recall spending a lot more time rebuilding the carburetor in a 1976 Land
Cruiser than it should have taken because some junkyard dog had put an F2
carb on an F1 engine...
The intelligent processor controls all fasteners and associated activity.
These include activating energy switches, receiving information from
sensors, and communicating with the network to which it is attached. The
processor can be configured to provide multiple levels of redundancy for
product reliability.
(Fool: What happens when some critical component of these 'intelligent'
fasteners break, like a controlling microchip? When that happen the part
can no longer removed at all (at least not without seriously damaging the
part itself and its housing. What happens when an EMP burst knocks out
all the microchips in all the fasteners?)
So we need to prepare ourselves to fend off an army of Ford vans armed
with EMP 'pinch' devices (a la "Ocean's Eleven") driving around trying to
find and foil garage mechanics?
Don't you hate that? You're up to your elbows in grease in the garage, working on your car, when an EMP burst kills all your screws. And to make matters worse, the radio goes out, so you don't even get to hear who won the game. And then you bark your shins on the toolbox as you try to make your way out of the garage in the dark.
Fastener Operating System
Proprietary electronics embedded in intelligent fasteners are controlled
by an operating system consisting of real-time executive input/output
(I/O) drivers. An applications programming interface provides a
connection between the intelligent fastener and application software.
(Fool: What happens when a security vulnerability allows a virus or a hacker to compromise components? A virus could be set to release at an inopportune time, killing the passengers or assassinating someone.)
It sure would make a nice twist to the bomb-under-the-seat that's so popular in spy and mafia movies, or the cut-the-brake-lines plot device that always seems to take place on Mulholland drive.
The operating system controls fastener functions including switching energy to the fastener actuating mechanism, linking the intelligent fastener to surrounding data networks, and reporting fastener status. Connection to a network allows storage and capture of information about fastener status while maintaining a historical record.
(Fool: What happens when the network malfunctions and starts to send invalid commands to components?)
A bunch of lawyers get rich and buy new boats (presumably from manufacturers that are not stupid enough to build 'em with self- destructing components).
When multiple fasteners secure an assembly, typically only one fastener
would carry an embedded microchip. This "master" fastener activates or
deactivates multiple "slave" fasteners that release simultaneously to
connect or remove complex parts quickly. The operating system can support
up to 16 I/O channels for control of multiple slave fasteners, external
devices and sensors.
Damn. And here I am with a complex part that has eighteen fasteners. Luckily, there's a new open source screw software that supports 32 I/O channels.
Figure 3. Airbags are exposed at the surface of the housing, allowing
quick and easy removal. Intelligent fasteners concealed in the housing
deny access to unauthorized personnel, restricting removal to authorized
technicians using proprietary codes transmitted remotely to the
fasteners.
(Fool: Again ensuring that expensive parts are controlled in a monopoly and can only be replaced by the manufacturer.)
The master fastener also can run diagnostics such as checking stress
levels, load status, and ambient temperature and environmental conditions
of each fastener under its command. Information is gathered in real time
and communicated over a data bus to personnel.
"Hello, Mr. Land? This is Bob over at the Ford dealership. Seems that you've got an over-torqued flivel flange on the borqus bracket in your 2005 Aplomb. You can either bring that in to the shop or you can just plug your cell phone into the cradle in the center console and we'll take care of it right now..."
Master control database. This is the central data repository for unique fastener identification information. Storage facilities include status history and authentication and authorization of control information.
(Fool: This Database and similar databases by other manufacturers and
governments would be a major target of hackers, terrorists, criminals,
Mafia, or other governments. Imagine what a hacker would be able to do
if they gained access to and compromised this database. Would you feel
secure? The hacker could send signals to millions of vehicles to
unfasten all their fasteners, killing millions of people on the freeways
as their cars literally fell apart while they were traveling at 70 miles
per hour.)
I recommend the formation of a new Cabinet-level Department of Hardware Security.
Intelligent tool. This remote, wireless device sends instructions to
intelligent fasteners via a software application program controlled by a
human operator or automated assembly or service system (Figure 2).
Intelligent tools in the field can automatically download algorithms for
control of new fastener types.
Finally, real "hex" wrenches and screw "drivers."
Communications concentrator. This device supports onboard networking and
links to the intelligent tool, providing the interface between the
control system and the intelligent fastener network. The communications
concentrator can support multiple industry standard networks, such as a
controlled area network (CAN) bus or Bluetooth.
Oh, yeah, that's what I want: for my car's nuts and bolts to be Bluejacked
(http://www.bluejackq.com/).
Roof racks. With the press of a button car owners could remove roof racks
and other accessories to reduce wind noise, drag and vehicle weight.
Roof Rack BlueJack.
Thanks again to The Fool for bringing this article to our attention --
while I may not agree entirely with his analysis, I share the concern
that people may *willingly* allow corporations, not governments, to bring
Big Brother to life.
Dave
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