Jan Beutel (ETHZ, Switzerland)
Development on the BTnode started in late 2000, over a year before the inauguration of NCCR MICS. Driven out of the need to prototype emerging wireless systems and an application in "Smart It's", a computer scientist and an electrical engineer embarked on a voyage that should yield the fruits and joys but also perils of a multi-year, cross-disciplinary endeavor. Apart from discussing the work on three generations of BTnodes I will showcase some of the projects that have grown out of this work over time. Furthermore I will give an historic account of the most prominent contenders of the WSN system family and a reflection on what has been accomplished since Pister et. al. coined the vision of Smart Dust. I will explain why mote class devices are built today the way they are and conclude with a look ahead.