Chapter 20

Sensor Networks

20.1 Vision

In the 21st century, the number of processors in daily use vastly outnumbers the laptops or desktop computers or personal digital assistants. Most gadgets that have become indispensable for us contain one or more processors. A state-of-the-art automobile has 50 or more processors in it. These sense various conditions and actuate devices for our safety or comfort. With the advancement of technology, the physical size of the processors has diminished, and a new breed of applications has emerged that relies on miniature postage-stamp-size processors sensing physical parameters and performing wireless communication with one another to achieve a collective goal. The primary job of a sensor network is tracking ...

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