INSTRUMENTATION • ELECTRONICSSECTION TITLE
SPACE-AGE SENSORS
How do you design sensors that can work equally well on two planets?
It’s blast-off for next-gen sensors
H
umidity and pressure sensors from an electronics expert are currently operating in every continent on Earth, as well as on space missions
such as NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. Tese motorised vehicles have been working on Mars since August 2012 and February 2021, respectively, and the technologies in the Vaisala sensors is the same as those deployed in multiple applications on Earth. So, how do you design a sensor that is able to operate in such different environments? Anni Torri, a senior scientist in Vaisala’s R&D division offers some valuable insight. With over 20 years of experience at the
company, Torri is well placed to comment. However, if you ask her how you design sensors for two planets, she simply says, “You don’t! Instead, you design sensors that out-perform customers’ needs here on Earth, which means designing for accuracy, stability and longevity. Happily, by developing such high-quality sensors, we also met the requirements of the teams working on the Mars rovers.” Vaisala’s humidity sensor technology Humicap was initially launched in 1973,
and the Barocap pressure sensor followed in 1985. Since that time, Torri says: “Te technologies have benefited from continuous improvement, driven by innovation within our team, as well as new and challenging requirements from customers. In addition to the core sensor technology (chip), we have also developed monitoring instruments, transmitters, probes and modules to meet a wide variety of customers’ needs. “Applications include meteorological measurements in the extremes of the polar
regions and the hottest deserts, as well as industrial operations with a range of conditions. Consequently, the sensors evolved and became able to deliver the highest levels of performance in the most demanding of applications.”
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING ON MARS NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers feature pressure and humidity monitoring devices designed and built by the Finnish
Anni Torri, senior scientist at Vaisala
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