Challenges and opportunities in multi-sensing microsystems - a case study

Microsensor arrays deployed in distributed networks are expected to revolutionize fields ranging from medical instrumentation for neural interfaces to environmental monitoring for industrial effluents, weather, and homeland security. This paper reports on an effort to develop a generic multi-sensor environmental monitoring platform which has stimulated substantial research at all levels, ranging from materials, fabrication methods and packaging, to sensor, actuator, circuit, and system design.