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A sensor is a device that detects and measures physical or environmental parameters such as; temperature, light, sound, motion, pressure, humidity, gas or chemical concentration, magnetic fields, orientation or position, vibration etc.
A sensor consist of three main elements; the sensor itself, the transducer and the transmitter. While the sensor senses the object and obtains a signal type, the transducer converts this signal to mainly electric signal for measurement. Whereas the transmitter is that part of the sensor device that sends or transmits the electrical signal or data remotely using a communication channel.
Generally, sensors are classified in a variety of ways or according to the following; the physical property it detects or their function, transduction principles, material, technology and application.
However, sensors may be classified strictly according to their function, this may include; temperature sensors (e.g. thermistors, thermocouple or infrared sensors), pressure sensors (e.g. piezoresistive, capacitive or strain gauge sensors), touch sensors (e.g. capacitive or resistive touch sensors), proximity (infrared, ultrasonic, capacitive sensors), ambient light sensors (e.g. Photodiodes or phototransistors sensors), motion sensors (e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes), air quality sensors (e.g. gas sensors or optical sensors), water quality (e.g. PH, conductivity or turbidity sensor), weather sensors (e.g. thermistors, hydrometer or barometer sensors) and so on.
To put it in proper perspective; radiation(including all sensors in the electromagnetic band) sensor measure radiation, temperature sensor measure temperature, accelerometers measure acceleration, vibration and orientation, gyroscopes measure orientation, magnetometers sensors measure magnetic fields, spectrometers sensors measure and analyze light and radiation, cameras and imagers sensors capture images and data, seismometers sensors measures tremors and quakes, atmospheric sensors measures and study atmospheric composition and pressure, gravity sensors measure gravitational fields and planetary sensors measure mass, sun sensors measure solar radiation and orientation, and inertia measuring unit sensors combine accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers in their respective sensing function.
The materials utilized for sensor design and construction comes in diverse forms and sources these may include; metals, semiconductors, ceramics, polymer, glass, crystals, gasses and Nano-materials. These materials are often used in combination with each other or with other substances and materials.
Sensors have numerous applications across various industries, including; industrial automation, healthcare, transportation, consumer electronics, environmental monitoring, smart homes, agriculture, medical devices, aerospace, security and so on.
The future of sensors is exciting and rapidly evolving, the trends for the foreseeable future in the use of sensors include the following; increased miniaturization, that is sensors are not only going to continue to get smaller but with considerable reduction in power consumption. Internet of things integration in its application will be a common feature in its design, thereby allowing for a greater network. Artificial intelligence and machine learning use in conjunction with the sensor will extend it range of perception and awareness of its environment which it operates. The use of advanced materials like grapheme, nanomaterials and metamaterials will increase its robustness, efficiency and reliability. Also in the future Sensors are expected to increasingly incorporate multimodal sensing in its design giving the sensors multi sensing modalities and capabilities. It is also expected that these sensors would be driven by quantum technology that would make them ultra-precise in their applications for navigation, spectroscopy and magnetic field detection. Bio-degradable medical implants are also in the card for the future use as brain computer interface devices and other medical applications. It is expected that future architecture of sensors will improve tremendous on all fronts particularly in security and privacy, autonomous vehicles and other machines operating in autonomous environments without human control.
SOURCES:
- The art of sensors by Patrick Wheeler.
- Sensors for industrial automation by Hans-Peter Schweizer.
- Smart sensors and MEMs by Randy Frank.
- Sensor technologies and applications by Subhas Chandra Mukhopadyay.
- Introduction to sensors by David J. Giltner.
