Wireless Sensor Nodes: Potential and Challenges

Highly miniaturized and autonomous sensor systems — or, in short, wireless sensor nodes — can serve many application domains in an ambient intelligent future, such as health and comfort, industrial processes, and automotive. Ultra-low power consumption and energy scavenging from the environment are essential for their commercial success. This paper reviews the technologies necessary to develop these systems, with focus on micropower generation and low-power design. The potential of wireless sensor nodes and the challenges related to their development are illustrated by a test case on body area network technology.