I. INTRODUCTION
Clean air is a basic requirement of daily life. People are
exposed to air pollutants both outdoors and indoors but, in
recent years, they are spending an increasing amount of time
indoors. They are constantly exposed to pollutant emitted by
houses, equipments and products used, the effects of those
substances may lead to a broad range of health problems and
be even fatal [1], [2]. In addition to the pollution effects on
health, other kind of chemicals can hazard the human health in
indoor environment. For instance, hundreds of accidents due to
failures in the methane distribution system or in the household
appliances, are reported in European countries every years [3].
To these reasons many developed countries, in the recent past,
enacted laws and guidelines in order to regulate this field of
great social impact.
Beside the great number of sensors developed, the technology
used for sensing has evolved toward the use of new
platforms like the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), which
offer new ways of connecting embedded systems to the
environment. Many examples of WSNs are already presented
in literature and developed for very different purposes, but the
fundamental difference with respect to a WSN which embeds
a gas-sensing device is the power consumption. Usually WSN
are designed with low power sensors (e.g. temperature, light,
pressure, acceleration. . . ); catalytic gas sensors present instead
the highest power consumption with respect to any other
component on the sensor node, radio transceivers included (see
Table I). Batteries are usually the only and unavoidable powersource
that can be used with Wireless Gas Sensor Networks
(WGSN), even though, energy-harvesting systems are recently
introduced to increase the autonomy of the nodes [4], [5].
I. INTRODUCTIONClean air is a basic requirement of daily life. People areexposed to air pollutants both outdoors and indoors but, inrecent years, they are spending an increasing amount of timeindoors. They are constantly exposed to pollutant emitted byhouses, equipments and products used, the effects of thosesubstances may lead to a broad range of health problems andbe even fatal [1], [2]. In addition to the pollution effects onhealth, other kind of chemicals can hazard the human health inindoor environment. For instance, hundreds of accidents due tofailures in the methane distribution system or in the householdappliances, are reported in European countries every years [3].To these reasons many developed countries, in the recent past,enacted laws and guidelines in order to regulate this field ofgreat social impact.Beside the great number of sensors developed, the technologyused for sensing has evolved toward the use of newplatforms like the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), whichoffer new ways of connecting embedded systems to theenvironment. Many examples of WSNs are already presentedin literature and developed for very different purposes, but thefundamental difference with respect to a WSN which embedsa gas-sensing device is the power consumption. Usually WSNare designed with low power sensors (e.g. temperature, light,pressure, acceleration. . . ); catalytic gas sensors present insteadthe highest power consumption with respect to any othercomponent on the sensor node, radio transceivers included (seeTable I). Batteries are usually the only and unavoidable powersourcethat can be used with Wireless Gas Sensor Networks(WGSN), even though, energy-harvesting systems are recentlyintroduced to increase the autonomy of the nodes [4], [5].
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