The document discusses wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It describes WSNs as consisting of distributed sensors that monitor conditions like temperature, sound, and pressure and transmit data to a central location. Modern networks are bidirectional, enabling sensor control. WSNs were initially developed for military surveillance but are now used in industrial and consumer applications. They pose challenges in deployment, location tracking, coverage, and integration of different sensor types on a single platform. Advances in energy harvesting and self-organizing networks could enable millions of low-cost sensor nodes. WSNs have applications in intrusion detection, health monitoring, and location detection.