Wireless sensor networks are attracting more and more interest from industry A widespread use of miniaturised nodes, sensing a multitude of industrial, environmental, bio-medical parameters is envisaged Each of these sensor nodes consists of its particular sensor functionality, of components for data storage, signal processing and wireless communication, and of a power source. As the size of the nodes decreases, miniature power sources are required. Current state-of-the-art battery systems only have a lifetime of approximately three months assuming a typical power output of 100μw and a volume of 1×1×0.3 cm~3, making them unsuited for application in wireless sensor networks. Replacing or recharging the batteries at regular time intervals (for example, every month) would be very expensive or simply impossible (for example, in distributed or implanted systems).
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