Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) injuries can occur in industrial and other work situations. Also called Raynaud’s phenomenon, vibration-induced white finger and traumatic vasopastic disease, HAVS has been well known and documented since 1918. It is a prevalent occupational hazard in the construction, forestry, manufacturing, and mining industries, where workers are at high risk of developing […]
How can you detect LEL?
For combustible gases, the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) or Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) is the minimum concentration of vapor in air below which the propagation of the flame does not occur when it contacts an ignition source, such as a spark or flame. In a specific area or space, if the LEL of a gas […]
What pressure levels impact the eardrum?
Previous blogs have discussed human body pressures including blood pressure and optical pressures. However, there are several more pressure measurements for different body locations that need to be considered. For example, the pressures created by different situations on the human ear, and specifically the eardrum, are critically important. High noise environments such as industrial machinery […]
How Matter impacts sensors: part 2
Part 1 of this blog discussed sensors and products compatible with the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) Matter standard that were announced at CES 2024. This included a Matter-compliant bridge that allows previously available products to be Matter-compliant. Compliant products gain the benefits of ease of interconnectivity via Wi-Fi and increased security through Matter’s use of […]
How Matter impacts sensors: part 1
With the support of connectivity companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung Electronics, and more, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) announced the Matter standard in October 2022. The standard’s intent is to provide secure and easy to configure interconnected products for consumers. That type of interconnectivity is essential to smart homes. When Matter 1.2 was […]
How current sensing impacts electric vehicles: Part 2
Part 1 of this blog addressed current shunts and Hall-effect sensor designs. This part discusses current transformers and new technology options such as magnetoresistance and even diamond quantum sensors. One of the major issues in today’s electric vehicles (EVs) is the ongoing evolution of technology with the standards evolving as well. In the 100+ years […]
How current sensing impacts electric vehicles: part 1
The need to transition from gasoline and diesel (fossil fuels) powered vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce carbon dioxide levels has revealed many controversial issues. Common issues include implementation timing, required infrastructure (including fast charging multi-vehicle systems), legislated rather than consumer-based adoption, ongoing system enhancements, and sources of new critical raw materials. One of […]
How can awareness of the need for CO sensors be increased?
Public outcries for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to reduce their climate change impact have been widely promoted for more than two decades. However, attention to a more immediate public health problem from carbon monoxide (CO) has not received anywhere near the same level of attention– unless the deaths get news covered. For example, in […]
How is sensing used to detect glaucoma?
The term glaucoma is used to describe a group of eye diseases. In addition to damaging the eye’s optic nerve, glaucoma can result in vision loss and even blindness. About 3 million Americans have glaucoma, but the disease affects more than 67 million people worldwide and is the second leading cause of blindness. Glaucoma occurs […]
How is sensor fusion used in medicine?
Sensor fusion is most frequently discussed in smartphone and automotive control applications. However, the fusion aspect was initially created for military analysis. From the analysis standpoint, for improved decision making, medical applications can and have benefited from sensor fusion. One example is in cancer detection and focused surgery. Specifically, the detection of and surgery for […]
How do diffuse, retroreflective, and through-beam ultrasonic sensors differ?
Ultrasonic frequencies are above the human audio range – higher than 20 kHz. Operating in the ultrasonic frequency range, ultrasonic sensors are commonly used for measuring proximity (distance), determining the level in storage tanks, detecting objects, and more. By measuring the time it takes for sound to travel to and reflect off the surface (time […]
How will sensors be used to increase warehouse automation?
Many of today’s warehouses have been or are in the process of transitioning from strictly a manual or conventional warehouse to a partially and eventually a fully automated warehouse. Depending on the level of sophistication, any automated process requires a variety of sensing technologies. Research from one company predicts that over 75% of companies will […]
What is normal blood pressure?
If you answered 120 over 80 mmHg, you are using criteria that is over 20 years old. As reported in a 2003 article, revised guidelines categorized normal blood pressure as <120/80 mmHg. Since the measurements are meant to lower the risks from not recognizing what is often called the silent killer – high blood pressure […]
How will NHTSA’s AEB mandate impact sensing?
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a draft pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB) test procedure. When, the results of testing conducted in 2022 on 12 light vehicles were published in 2023 (2022 Light Vehicle Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking Test Summary, March 2023), one conclusion was: No vehicles […]
How sensors help you play ball: part 3
Sensing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer ball consists of a 6-axis motion sensor, a 3-axis magnetometer, a pressure sensor (in one version), and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The 0 to 2 bar (0 to 29 pounds per square inch (psi)) pressure sensor with 0.025 (0.36 psi) resolution can confirm that the ball is within […]
How do sensors help you play ball? Pt. 2
A FIFA-compliant match ball from adidas has a TDK InvenSense 6-axis MotionTracking device and other electronics mounted in the center of the ball. As shown in Figure 1, the adidas patented suspension system stabilizes the electronics module. Instead of having the sensing/communication module mounted on the surface of the ball near the inflator valve, the […]
How do sensors help you play ball? Pt. 1
In addition to the respect and pride of accomplishment that winning in any sport provides, if it’s done at the professional level, the monetary rewards of winning can be great as well. In fact, exceptional performance can create a lasting legacy for a player, a team, and a coach. This gives coaches, trainers, and the […]
What role does sensing play in a flying car?
Will your first or perhaps your next sports car be capable of flying? If you are looking for the cool factor, the Samson Sky Switchblade Flying Car is certainly worth checking out. Completing its first flight on Nov. 9, 2023, after 14 years of design and rigorous testing, the flight test data will enable the […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 4.
Multimodal robots that can fly and walk or crawl have been the basis of research for many years. In 2016, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Laboratory reported the development of the Picobug with multimodal characteristics of climbing, jumping, and gliding, or even flying and swimming. With a research paper detailing many executed and […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 3.
The abilities of robots continue to advance with highly capable products performing a variety of tasks, looking almost humanlike as they speak, and even garnering appearances in movies. Perhaps less attractive but equally or even more useful, creeping or crawling robots bring drones down to earth and, in fact, inside the earth. Unlike the micro […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 2.
While flying drones are common in military, consumer, and even commercial applications, there are a few intriguing, much smaller and less familiar flying drones in development. Called a micro air vehicle (MAV), or micro aerial vehicle, this class of very small flying drones have applications in agriculture, disaster relief, by both military and enterprise users, […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 1.
Obviously, different design requirements exist depending on the targeted applications but autonomous or remotely piloted drones also dictate different criteria. One of the more unique underwater applications involved undersea (in the ice) measurements in Antarctica. The intent of the expedition was to gather sufficient, highly accurate information to improve modeling of ice shelf melting and […]
What advanced sensing techniques are used in cobots?
Most robots incorporate a broad range of sensing technologies to better understand the operating environment and to fulfill their design purpose. These sensors provide information about position, size, orientation, velocity, distance, temperature, weight, force, and more. For collaborative robots or cobots that operate in a close proximity to and even interact with humans, additional sensing […]
How are sensors being used in new applications?
Sometimes learning about how sensing technology is used in an application that the reader is not that familiar with can provide inspiration for a new approach in an area that they are very familiar with. That is the intent of the applications that follow. Even if they are not used for inspiration, they make interesting […]
What new products have been introduced using available/ existing sensors?
Product shrinkage. While mass organized or coordinated theft has devastated specific business establishments, with the increasing use of self-checkouts, some honest, normal shoppers are taking what they have not paid for as well. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the global shrinkage rate in retail stores is about 1.4-1.6% of annual retail sales. This […]