COVER STORY
Sensors – The hidden technology enabling innovation in the modern world
From smart watches and smart meters to smart factories and smart cities, today’s electronic devices and systems are becoming increasingly responsive, informative, and pervasive—some might even describe them as invasive. Several factors drive this proliferation in monitoring, control, and data analysis. Firstly, the availability of computational power at a relatively low cost, ranging from tiny, embedded microcontrollers to server-class processors and AI accelerators in the cloud, plays a crucial role. Secondly, the rapid advancements in sensor technology significantly contribute to this trend. These sensors operate seamlessly and often go unnoticed, yet they underpin the security, comfort, convenience, safety, and data-driven productivity that characterize modern life and business.
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n this month’s edition, Anglia delves into the critical and frequently overlooked role sensors play in various applications, we explore the essential functions sensors perform and their importance in the modern world. Additionally, we introduce some of the latest innovations in sensor technology, providing insights into developments that are shaping the industry. Our coverage includes examples of where these advanced sensors are being employed, illustrating their diverse applications across different sectors. Furthermore, we examine how these sensors are driving digital transformation, enabling new capabilities and efficiencies that were previously unattainable.
Sensors are simultaneously becoming smaller, more energy-efficient, and smarter with embedded processing capabilities. The latest generation of motion sensors, for instance, includes on-board machine learning cores that perform AI inference directly within the sensor. This allows software developers to offload basic functions, such as human activity detection, from the main processor, resulting in significant power savings. These advancements lead to lower carbon footprints, longer runtimes from smaller batteries, and faster response times to events.
Machine vision sensing
Simultaneously, new machine vision sensors are emerging to address the conflict between capturing information and protecting privacy. Traditionally associated with industrial production equipment for detecting non- conforming products on production lines, such as food items or assembled PCBs, machine vision sensors are now prevalent in everyday life. These types of sensors enable a variety of smart applications, including room occupancy detection, power-saving wake-on-approach operations for devices like laptops and ATMs, people counting, expression detection, and eye tracking. Using standard camera sensors for these applications is often impractical due to privacy concerns and the high cost of development and deployment. Machine vision sensors, therefore, offer a more secure and cost-effective alternative for implementing these advanced functionalities.
10 June 2024 Components in Electronics
Respecting privacy
Machine vision information is increasingly essential in smart retail, smart home security, drone guidance, and various
sensing solutions are available from companies such as Panasonic, Omron, TDK, and STMicroelectronics. These new-generation sensors are revolutionizing presence detection and scene analysis.
Among these advancements are grid-type PIR sensors, capable of detecting stationary objects and calculating the direction and speed of moving objects. Additionally, time-of-flight sensors, both optical and ultrasonic, monitor reflected infrared or ultrasonic signals to measure distances to multiple objects within their field of view. Manufacturer-developed algorithms enhance these time- of-flight sensors, enabling functionalities beyond simple distance detection. Applications now include detailed scene mapping for gesture control, people counting, head- position monitoring, and accurate differentiation between animals, children, and adults.
other applications. For many years, the only available options were unsophisticated proximity sensors and passive infrared (PIR) detectors. However, today, more advanced
Crucially, these capabilities are achieved without capturing conventional photographic images, thereby eliminating privacy concerns and the need for storing personal information. These sensors can be effectively
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