At a December 5th briefing, Justin Rattner, Intel's Chief Technology Officer, discussed the company's energy-efficiency initiatives, which in this reporter's opinion are starting to make the company look like an energy innovation company as well as a processor manufacturer.

One Intel research project uses real-world sensing technology to provide real-ime information about the state of the environment, especially air quality. The company's silicon lasers and sensor chips measure air pollutants like methane, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and even ozone. The sensors can provide an “instantaneous near global picture of the environmental state of the planet,” according to Rattner. They can be tacked onto cell phones, inside walls, and even onto San Francisco street sweepers that collect air quality measurements as they sweep.

The data obtained from these sensors can help citizens, regulatory agencies, and businesses manage emission levels. For instance, it can be used by air quality managers to manage pollutant sources geographically, or to detect dangerous conditions before they wreak havoc on the public.

And, in an almost science fiction innovation, Intel’s research teams have been experimenting with harnessing the free-floating energy available in the ambient environment. In this scenario, sensors will scour the surroundings for free, unused energy. This could come from radio waves or solar power, or even, eventually, from the movement generated by a passerby. This energy would be used to power computers and transmit data wirelessly. According to Ratner, there may even come a day when the energy used to scroll on a Blackberry may be able to power the device.

It's an almost science fiction innovation—the sort of thing that makes one want to say, "Get real." We're not quite there yet, but the research is really here now.