So bringing it back to reality, euros. The government has a strategy. And there’s a lot of people at the moment you will hear who are saying, ‘Don’t spend money on the public service. Cut salaries in the public service. Get rid of the pensions. Get rid of the banks. Get rid of the hospitals.’ And they’re going to have to do something drastic. And some people are saying, ‘Forget about the science and technology. It’s not that important. It’s a waste of money.’ Well I would say, ‘It isn’t a waste of money.’ And luckily the Irish government is very focused on putting more money into this space, educating you people, and hoping that you guys are going to go into science and technology programmes in third level, and make a difference over the next 20 or 30 years. Thank you very much for your attention. [Applause] I understand I’m supposed to ask if there are any questions. It doesn’t mean I’m going to answer them.
Question from the audience: What would you say to someone that said putting some of the sensors in homes was an invasion of privacy? [Audience cheers]
Dr. Cian Ó Mathúna: That was a very good question. That’s a very important point. And it’s a bit like, you know, with…I mean if you think of some of the technology we have at the moment. Say on your mobile phone there are services that you wish to access, so you are in control of accessing them. Or on Facebook or Twitter or whatever else, you can decide what access you want your friends or whoever else to have. And that’s a very important element that needs to sit underneath that whole infrastructure. So you’re right. Let’s say if you take old people in the home. They may not want people to know how they’re getting on. My mother-in-law, for instance, God rest her. She definitely didn’t want to know how she was getting on or want anyone else to know about her. And that’s an important element. So there has to be a balance, you know, of being able to use technology appropriately to enhance quality of life, but not to undermine people’s privacy and their individuality.
Question from the audience: The sensors, are they unique to Ireland or are they worldwide?
Dr. Cian Ó Mathúna: No, this is worldwide. I have described to you really what Ireland is doing. In fact the Irish government funding for this type of work between Clarity and many other programmes, there’s about €100 million invested in this area. There’s about 200 scientists and engineers working in this area. But it is the same across Europe. It’s the same in the US, the same in Japan. So we are, I guess, in a global race to develop this technology and to make it useful.
Question from the audience: How long does it take to make one of the sensors?
Dr. Cian Ó Mathúna: Typically if we were making it, we would make it on say silicon technology in our silicon fabrication laboratory in Tyndall. And it would take about two weeks to make that sensor. Now if Intel were making it, because Intel would be working 24 hours a day on three shifts and so on, in Leixlip, they could make it maybe in, you know, two or three days. And then what you have to do with that sensor, you have to combine it with all the other electronic components in order to deliver the final system that’s going to be used.
Question from the audience: Why are sensors so expensive?
Dr. Cian Ó Mathúna: What I was describing to you, the expensive sensors, these were the ones that went into the water. They were €1,000 each. The reason those are so expensive is because there’s not many of them made at the moment. And they need to be very robust for that water environment. However, the great thing about silicon technology is that when you make one chip you make millions of chips, because you make them on a large wafer. And each little chip is on that wafer. If we can get the sensors to go onto the silicon they will become very cheap. That’s why the mobile phone is so cheap, because the silicon chip has made the technology so cheap. Part of the research we’re doing is trying to find a way to make these sensors very cheap while still being robust, so that they have the self-cleaning, they don’t get attacked by the trees, etc. OK? [Applause]
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