Emerging techniques for long lived wireless sensor networks

In recent years, sensor networks have transitioned from being objects of academic research interest to a technology that is frequently being deployed in real-life applications and rapidly being commercialized. However, energy consumption continues to remain a barrier challenge in many sensor network applications that require long lifetimes. Battery-operated sensor nodes have limited energy storage capability due to small form-factors, or operate in environments that rule out frequent energy replenishment, resulting in a mismatch between the available energy budget for system operation and the required energy budget to obtain desired lifetimes. This article surveys several techniques that show promise in addressing and alleviating this energy consumption challenge. In addition to describing recent advances in energy-aware platforms for information processing and communication protocols for sensor collaboration, the article also looks at emerging, hitherto largely unexplored techniques, such as the use of environmental energy harvesting and the optimization of the energy consumed during sensing.