HP's accelerometer is 1,000 times more sensitive than those on current mass-produced devices

HP Labs does some incredible research and development work now and then, and this time, they haven't disappointed at all.  They've managed to create an inertial accelerometer so sensitive that that it is approximately 1,000 times more sensitive than "today's mass-produced devices".

The sensor is part of HP's CeNSE (Central Nervous System for the Earth)  research and development program, which aims to build a planetwide sensing network using billions of tiny, cheap, tough and exquisitely sensitive detectors to measure anything and everything about the environment.

The first realistic focus is coming from oil giant Shell, who's looking to use the sensors for underground oil detection,   Later on, HP expects to shift to "city-level" projects, in which "awareness could revolutionize human interaction with the Earth as profoundly as the Internet has revolutionized personal and business interactions today".

[via Fast Company]