... drivers include large efforts in research and development ofhigh-tech industries in the area of microelectronics in the 1970s, in new materialsand information technology in the 1980s, and in miniaturization ... systems in intelligent buildings. These systems provide early warning ofdangerous situations in buildings, eg, fire incidents, toxic or explosive gas concen-trations, and unwanted intrusion into ... be increasingly widespread, used with self-identifying, self-diagnos-ing, and self-calibrating sensors. Within the next 10 years megatrends will be min-iaturization, standardization of interfaces,...