5. Sensor networks

Several types of sensor networks exist today. MicroPAN-type networks are for personal use, and generally for medical purposes; the aim, for example, is to monitor a patient's state of health, using sensors positioned on the patient to provide information on certain critical elements (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.). Other types of sensor networks exist, for industrial or military use, and aim to interconnect a set of sensors; it's not unusual for these networks to be made up of thousands of sensors, unlike the microPAN, which generally has less than a dozen. Future industrial applications include monitoring the cold chain in food distribution processes. In a purely military context, the surveillance of territory or enemy territory is also a field of application for sensor networks.

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