Wireless sensor networks in electrical manufacturing

Sensors along with processing and communication electronics are becoming small enough to be tightly integrated into a wide variety of systems from biological and environmental to manufacturing. Along with this miniaturization, wireless sensor networks have recently become an area of great interest to researchers and industry. They offer the promise of monitoring, data collection, and control of systems with unprecedented scale and spatial granularity. It is widely believed that wireless sensor network system design, installation, and maintenance are simplified due to the absence of physical wires. As with any emerging technology, pitfalls are as significant as the benefits. Today the performance of these networks is highly application dependent, with many different, yet tightly coupled challenges. This paper provides an overview and description of what wireless sensor networks are and are not. Challenges with their design and deployment in electrical manufacturing environments are also presented. The current wireless sensor network state of the art and obstacles to overcome are reviewed. Finally, a speculative view of future trends is offered