Hardware maker Hewlett Packard is up to two years away from starting to build what it calls a central nervous system for the earth.

Dubbed CeNSE, the project is based on the idea that the earth is sick and HP can find the cure.

Led by Dr Stan Williams at HP's Information and Quantum Systems Laboratory the project gives the planet a barrage of tests to find out what ails it.

HP would install trillions of nanotechnology sensors across the globe which are so sensitive they can detect and measure anything and everything from viruses to bacteria, from the chemical composition of molecules to sounds and moisture levels.

For HP's central nervous system to become a reality, Dr Williams said the world had to be covered with sensors.
He said that HP should be able to make these sensors by the billions and eventually even trillions using these highly integrated manufacturing processes that have been developed for the computer chip industry and the electronics industry.

This will drive down the cost of the sensors and make it affordable to deploy very large numbers in a system.' Field tests are due to start in the next 12-18 months. X
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