PicoRadios for wireless sensor networks: the next challenge in ultra-low power design

An untapped opportunity in the realm of wireless data lies in low data-rate (<10 kb/s) low-cost wireless transceivers, assembled into distributed networks of sensor and actuator nodes. This enables applications such as smart buildings and highways, environment monitoring, user interfaces, entertainment, factory automation, and robotics While the aggregate system processes large amounts of data, individual nodes participate in a small fraction only (typical data rates <1 kb/s). These ubiquitous networks require that the individual nodes are tiny, easily integratable into the environment, and have negligible cost. The challenges and opportunities in the design of integrated wireless sensor and actuator nodes, to be used in such self-configuring ad-hoc networks, are described. To be viable, the node must be smaller than a couple of mm/sup 3/, cost <1, and consume <100 μW, allowing for energy scavenging from the environment.