RFrank

With last year’s sensing/sensor events cancelled or held virtually after COVID -19 hit, it is interesting to monitor how they are being held this year. Some recent announcements provide an indication. The 35th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (IEEE MEMS 2022) will be held in-person in Tokyo, Japan, as well as virtually on […]

With over 105 patents filed and pending and 45+ patents granted worldwide, Origin Wireless Inc.’s Hex Home security system uses patented Wireless AI™ technology to provide WiFi Sensing™. The Hex system consists of a home master command, remote devices and an app. Devices are located about 15 to 30 feet from each other. Installation requires […]

Unlike visible light, which ranges between 380 nm and 780 nm, ultraviolet (UV) light wavelengths measure between 100 nm to 400 nm. UV is broken into subcategories known as UVA, UVB, or UVC. While UVC rays are the shortest and strongest, naturally occurring UVC rays are mostly absorbed by the atmospheric ozone layer, so they […]

Both negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors’ values change as a result of temperature but impact their use differently. For NTC thermistors, as temperature increases, the resistance drops from high to low and allows current to pass through. In a circuit, they can limit in-rush current by self-heating when current is […]

Wireless applications that need continuous monitoring to save energy, detect unsafe or other avoidable conditions and need to avoid creating serious maintenance issues are prime candidates for energy harvesting.  Steam trap monitoring provides an excellent example of this type of batteryless sensing.  Roughly 20% of the steam leaving a typical facility’s central boiler plant in space […]

Developed by Centers for Age Control, the AgeMeter takes user data and physiological biomarker tests to calculate functional age and provide other age-related feedback to users. Since it tests physiological biomarkers that decline with age, the AgeMeter can validate aging reversal as well as anti-aging therapies for healthcare practices, researchers, fitness programs and consumers. Intended […]

The right materials are essential to achieve the desired sensor electrical performance, especially in many more demanding, high performance applications. Part 1 showed the performance impact of different sensor materials on infrared (IR) optical sensors. Radio frequency (RF) sensors also provide some interesting examples of a material’s impact on sensor performance. With expanding RF applications […]

Upgrading facilities to industry 4.0 standards is one of the most significant trends in the manufacturing industry today. To do this, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are pushing hard to renovate their facilities with connected, automated devices and machines to create greater efficiency and cost savings. Smarter devices can ease the transition. For example, force measurement […]

For harsh environments, materials provide the difference between survival and failure by addressing thermal, chemical and mechanical operating requirements. However, the right materials are also essential to achieve the desired sensor electrical performance, especially in many more demanding, high performance applications. This starts with the sensing element and extends to the packaging. As one of […]

A quick search for “sensors in the smart home” can easily identify dozens of sensors – primarily for sensing physical properties. The results could be one of many specific sensing technologies or specific products. For example, one search showed: Fire/CO detection Leak/moisture detection Window & door open and close Video doorbell Smart thermostat Motion sensors […]

You may read about the 5th-generation Waymo Driver but until you see one on the road, it is hard to appreciate the extent of its sensing capabilities. Sensors are visible everywhere on the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace SUV. In fact, each visible mounting location has more than one sensor. To consistently obtain the amount of information […]

The use of radar in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including adaptive cruise control (ACC), automatic emergency braking (AEB), pedestrian and cyclist detection and more has been widespread for many years. In these external vehicle applications, radar detects the speed and range of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle and typically operates at 77 […]

Both variable reluctance (VR) and eddy current (EC) technologies provide contactless speed sensors based on interaction with a magnetic field. A variable reluctance sensor can be thought of as an ac generator with an output voltage proportional to speed. With its self-generating electrical signal, a VR sensor does not require an external power supply. The […]

With its recently announced Exo Sense Pi, Sfera Labs s.r.l. provides its answer to this question. It is a multi-sensor module with the Raspberry Pi 4 as its computing core. Offering specialized sensors and interfaces, the system provides easy and versatile integration with wide communication protocols support. Sensors for the Exo Sense Pi include: temperature […]

It was a tough year in 2020 and now there are semiconductor shortages in 2021. So, with all that has and is going on, how is it impacting the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industry? MEMS technology accounts for many different types of sensors as well as actuators. To find out, Roger Grace, president of Roger Grace […]

Researchers continue to search for improved solutions to power the many wireless, wearable sensing devices that are being developed to avoid frequent, or as frequent, charging and/or battery replacement. Two of the prominent research areas include thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and piezoelectric energy harvesters. With wearable thermoelectric generators (TEGs), the amount of thermo‐generated power strongly depends […]

With a newly available product, an existing deadbolt can be converted to a smart door lock, add many sensors and obtain several new desirable functions. To get started, the Bosma Aegis Smart Door Lock simply replaces the indoor portion of an existing deadbolt with the conversion process taking about 10 minutes. The newly installed device […]

Understanding the difference between gauge and absolute pressure sensing measurements is easiest to visualize with piezoresistive type pressure sensor and a diaphragm that deflects with pressure. For both types of measurements, pressure is applied to the top of the thin diaphragm. With the gauge pressure sensor, the back side is vented to atmosphere. This could […]

Within a few months of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, researchers started investigating how wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), extracting data from urine and feces transported through sewers, could be used in the fight to isolate, contain and prevent the virus from spreading. At the first company in the world to commercialize data from sewage, Biobot Analytics, […]

Common question. New planet. It’s April and in the Gale Crater, where the Curiosity rover is currently exploring, that means early autumn temperatures: highs around 10°F and lows less than -100°F reported from its Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS). In addition to air and ground temperatures around the rover, other measurements include atmospheric pressure, humidity […]

One sensing tool that has played an important role since the beginning of COVID-19 is data loggers. Data loggers use a wide variety of sensors to measure everything from temperature to illuminance.  One specific type of data logger equipped with a CO2 sensor has been used since the beginning of the pandemic to monitor and […]

A load cell is a type of force sensor and it has a direct relationship to pressure, since: pressure = force/area                                    Eq. 1 The load cell’s electrical output is proportional to the mechanical force applied to it. The force can be hydraulic or pneumatic and the transducer is normally based on strain gauges. Other types […]

Large Predator B drones, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and first flown in 2001, are used by the military to perform multi-mission Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over land or sea. Sensing payloads in the MQ-9A Predator B remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), include: Multi-Spectral Targeting System Model B (MTS-B) Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Lynx multi-mode […]

Infrared radiation (IR) can be detected by thermal IR and quantum IR sensors. A thermal IR sensor uses infrared energy as heat for detection and its sensitivity is independent of wavelengths. Therefore, it can detect objects in the near IR, mid IR, and far IR bands. The non-contact detectors do not require cooling after exposure […]

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are used to track and identify personnel (including implanted RFID) and inventory/assets in warehouses, work-in-process (WIP) in manufacturing plants, animals in laboratories, on farms or in the wild and to provide access control and for automatic toll collection for vehicles in consumer as well as government applications. The RFID tag is […]