<\/a>Figure 1: An implemented eTextiles system.<\/p><\/div>\n
Advances in sensor technologies are creating a paradigm shift in the way humans interact with their environments.\u00a0 For instance, one does not have to look too far to see the impact an accelerometer sensor in the Nintendo Wii-mote has had on video games or a capacitive touch-screen sensor in the iPhone has had on mobile devices.\u00a0 While both of these devices use ICs for wireless communications, they share a common attribute: their physical sizes are large enough to accommodate batteries of reasonable capacity.\u00a0 Since the human body is a very complex and mostly analog system, the field of medical monitoring electronics should be able to leverage emerging sensor technologies to improve health care and quality of life in a dramatic way.\u00a0 Unfortunately, size restrictions (due to either aesthetics or biology) require sensor nodes and, as a result their energy storage elements, to be physically small.\u00a0 Such nodes are often communication-power-dominated, making the design of long-battery-life sensor nodes challenging without a reduction in communication power.<\/p>\n