It is now possible to develop large numbers of small smart
components that
combine computing power, wireless communication capabilities, and specialized sensors and
actuators. These components or nodes may be deployed in
thousands to achieve a common
mission or in smaller numbers be deployed as wearables. They may be used to monitor
poorly accessible or dangerous environments such as the
ocean floor, neighborhoods of volcanic activities, hostile territories (e.g., behind enemy lines),
disaster areas, and nuclearly active fields. They may also be deployed to accomplish interactive
tasks such as finding and detonating enemy mines, looking for survivors of natural disasters, or
containing and isolating oil spills to protect a nearby coastline. These wireless sensor devices
are also useful for environmental monitoring, medical applications and smart
homes, buildings, or cities. The new technology creates a
different set of challenges arising from the fact that:
