Large-scale deployment of sensors is being witnessed in mobile devices, media players, game consoles, and cameras. New opportunities are unfolding for innovative applications, including gesture recognition, motion sensing, location sensing, and fingerprint biometrics.

Gesture-based interfaces have triggered a surge in applications in the mobile gaming and personal devices sectors, and are set to change the way user interfaces are designed. These interfaces are likely to transform mass advertising solutions in the retail business.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (technicalinsights.frost.com), Opportunities for Sensors in Consumer Electronics, finds that the demand for complex scenarios that provide intuitive gaming experiences is on the rise, and the industry is cashing in on this market. The availability of 3D depth sensors and state-of-the-art accelerometers and gyroscopes is ensuring that the money is flowing into the industry.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an email to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer[.]frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

Location data from all possible inputs such as cars, buses, taxis, mobile phones, cameras, and personal navigation devices that are network-connected with positioning technologies, including ground positioning system (GPS), wireless fidelity (WiFi), and cell tower triangulation, provides an ocean of information. Making sense of this data is especially becoming useful to consumers and businesses that utilize location-enabled devices for services, locating friends and family, navigating, asset- and pet-tracking, dispatching, sports, games, and hobbies.

Although the outlook for the market is upbeat, some challenges are restraining market progression. Privacy issues have emerged as a critical concern in location-based sensing. Considering the massive amount of personal information available online, the risk of susceptibility to crimes such as stolen identity is greatly amplified.

Dealing with these complexities would necessitate further research in the desired application areas. Standardization with regard to sensors would take longer as the applications are wide and varied, and the onus is on the end user to facilitate such processes. Advances in nanosensors can be used to develop portable lab-on-foil and lab-on-chip, along with developments in printing technologies. These low-cost, miniature sensors can be developed for quick chemical and threat detection in mobile, portable personal electronics.

Going forward, several technologies are poised to shape the consumer electronics space in the near future. Accelerometers and gyroscopes have conventionally been the forte of the automotive and aviation industries; however, the uptake of these sensors is likely to pick up steam in the consumer electronics space. Gyroscope manufacturers would be wise to target the high-volume cell phone market. Gyroscopes can open up new applications and interfaces with mobile phones, and if successful, a significant drop in unit cost owing to economies of scale will result.

In the long term, the convergence of various types of sensor technologies will pave the way for more comprehensive solutions that ensure optimized end-user experiences socially.

Opportunities for Sensors in Consumer Electronics, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides an insight into the recent advances in the field of sensors for consumer electronics along with the emerging application areas for the same. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.

www.frost.com

Endevco® prepolarized condenser measurement microphones, available in 1/8”, ¼”, and ½” diameters, are offered in free-field, pressure, low-cost array and random incidence types and can be used to meet IEC and ANSI standards. Array microphones offer a lower overall per channel measurement cost and are directly compatible with ISOTRON® (IEPE-type) signal conditioning. They can be used as drop-in replacements within existing accelerometer test system set-ups for as-needed precision noise measurements. Models may be purchased as stand-alone units, or in a microphone and low-noise preamplifier combination with iTEDS on-board memory storage capabilities, facilitating their use within larger channel count applications. All microphones are constructed with a stainless steel protective grid case and housing, as well as a special stainless steel alloy diaphragm, for high reliability in a variety of application environments.

Available for use with Endevco® precision measurement microphones are a full range of low-noise ISOTRON® preamplifiers, handheld calibrators, and accessories. In addition, all acoustic sensors and instrumentation are covered by a five-year comprehensive product warranty. For detailed technical specifications, drawings or additional information on acoustic sensors, or other Endevco® products available from Meggitt Sensing Systems, visit www.endevco.com.

Meggitt Sensing Systems
www.meggitt.com

Finding that many web visitors were unsure of what type of sensor that might meet their application requirements, Macro Sensor wanted to simplify sensor selection by visually grouping its LVDT and RVDT position sensors by target markets.  Now, Macro Sensors’ web site segments LVDT and RVDT position sensors into application categories, grouping those that best operate in conditions prevalent in:

• Energy/Power Gen
• Factory Automation
• Aerospace/Military
• Hydraulics/Pneumatics
• Industrial OEM
• Civil Engineering/R&D
• Sub Sea/Marine
• Transportation

In addition to providing detailed product specifications and drawings on every product, Macro Sensors’ web site also features application stories and press releases that explain how different linear and rotary position sensors are implemented in specific industrial and military applications.   For more information on Macro Sensors product line of LVDT based linear position sensors and RVDT based rotary position sensors, go to the web site at www.macrosensors.com or contact the factory at positionsensors@macrosensors.com.

Macro Sensors
www.macrosensors.com

The unique design of the AccuStar® incorporates a capacitance-based sensor without moving parts. When rotated about its sensitive axis, this sensor provides a fundamentally linear variation in capacitance, which is electronically converted into high-precision angular data. Available in choice of analog, ratiometric, digital or serial models, the AccuStar® electric clinometer offers a ±60° measurement range, outputting a signal that corresponds to the direction and magnitude of angular displacement. The highly compact AccuStar® measures just two inches (50 mm) in diameter and weighs just two ounces (60 grams) for easy installation, with units designed to reliably operate in temperatures of -30 to +65°C. The sensor and its associated low-power CMOS electronics are encased in a rugged plastic housing.

With its durable, high-performance design, the AccuStar® is ideal for a multitude of applications, including off-highway vehicles, wheel alignment, construction equipment, antenna positioning and robotics applications, as well as other portable or mobile applications where space constraints or environmental concerns preclude the use of other types of precision angle measurement devices.

Sherborne Sensors
www.sherbornesensors.com

Offered in ranges from 1 to 50kN, the miniature U2000 series load cells provide precision measurement capabilities in either tension or compression mode, with a 3mV/V full scale output. Their robust, shear web design incorporates multiple strain gages, strategically placed to counteract and minimize errors associated with unwanted side or axial forces. A corrosion-resistant stainless steel housing and environmental sealing to IP54 helps ensure reliable performance in harsh environments, over a wide temperature range of -20 to +80°C. The low deflection and high frequency response characteristics of the Sherborne Sensors U2000 series are especially beneficial for both materials testing and high-speed load measurement applications, and particularly, where peak loads are being monitored. Additional available options for the U2000 series range include spherical load buttons, mounting bases, fully isolated double bridge and fatigue rated versions. In addition, Sherborne Sensors custom designs and manufactures variations to conform to specific customer requirements.

Sherborne Sensors
www.sherbornesensors.com

Under the $2.2m contract, Platypus will continue to develop sensors that have an ultra-thin layer of gold film coated with receptors that make it turn lighter or darker when it comes in contact with a targeted substance.

The sensor will use tiny liquid crystals, which are used in LCD television and computer screens, for the changes in the color intensity.

Platypus president and chief executive Richard S Schifreen said the company also developed a prototype of a handheld device for reading the sensors and refining the technology for certain applications, including military uses.

Work under the one-year contract will be carried out by Platypus in collaboration with Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center in Maryland.

Leadership in Engineering

This is the 3rd annual Leadership event announcing the winners in the 2009 Leadership Awards Program. The Design World User Community have cast their votes and we are pleased to announce the winners.

ADVANCED MATERIALS

Da/Pro Rubber is a custom manufacturer of precision rubber, TPE, and plastic molding products. The proprietary Da/Pro process adjusts for rubber compound and rubber part configuration variables so that it can produce high tolerance parts of consistent quality. The company offers complete in-house capabilities from design for moldability, rubber compound development, lab testing, mold construction, subassembly, and quality assurance.

Digital Manufacturing

Proto Labs’ quick-turn Protomold® injection molding and First Cut® CNC machining services are the fastest in the world at providing design engineers with real parts based on their 3D CAD models. We achieved this unique ability by applying proprietary software and parallel processing technologies to the automation of standard manufacturing processes, so engineers can finally have it all : real parts in as little as one day.

Electrical & Electronic

Since 1976, Glenn Taylor’s vision of an enterprising engineer has been our guiding force. Our goal is to design and manufacture standard industrial control products that meet or exceed customer and industry specifications for quality and operation. We engineer more features, more functions and more flexibility into our products, and we are able to offer a lifetime warranty for them.

Fastening & Joining

Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.’s original product was a plastic ring with a groove to house a coiled spring. Today, the company’s patented canted coil spring energized PTFE is at the core of its product offerings. Bal Seal offers custom-engineered sealing, connecting, conducting, and shielding products for medical electronics, medical device aerospace/defense, energy management, automotive, and industrial applications.

Fluid Power

Norgren’s vision is to create competitive advantage for its customers. By exploiting the potential of motion and fluid control technologies. For Norgren customers this means better results, faster/more efficient machines, improved machine performance, increased reliability/uptime and lower cost of ownership. Application specific solutions frequently involve integrated or modular combinations of actuator, control valve and air preparation technologies. Within the field of motion control Norgren develops solutions for automation applications and within the field of fluid control Norgren combines proven brands to offer solutions for handling air, water, oil and other fluids.

Mechanical

Arrow Gear Company is among the most technologically advanced gear manufacturers in the world. With a facility of over 145,000 square feet, Arrow is equipped for a full range of precision gear machining, heat treating and inspection capabilities for spiral bevel gears, spur and helical gears, curvic couplings – as well as complete gearboxes.

Arrow has earned a reputation for providing high precision gears to the global market for a wide variety of aerospace and commercial applications.

Arrow’s advanced technologies reach beyond machine tools alone. Arrow is equipped with design and development capabilities that are on the leading edge of the industry. Utilizing Gleason CAGE, GAGE, MINIGAGE, Finite Element and Fully Loaded TCA software, Arrow engineers can create computer models which accurately predict gear design performance. This process for contact pattern development is dramatically more efficient than conventional methods.

Motion Control

PBC Linear is a leader in providing linear and rotary solutions, specializing in everything from out-of-the-box components, to mechanical sub-assemblies, to complete linear systems. PBC Linear’s team of expert engineers draws experience from years of mechanical and design engineering both in the classroom and in the field. Their skilled staff, sophisticated tools, and innovative products create long lasting solutions for the toughest motion control problems.

Software

COMSOL Group provides software solutions for multiphysics modeling. A fast growing engineering software company with a proven track recor, Comsol was founded in July 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden, and has offices in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, India, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and U.S.A.

Switches & Sensors

MTS Sensors, a division of MTS Systems Corp., is the global leader in the development and production of magnetostrictive, linear-position and liquid-level sensors. Using MTS’s patented Temposonics® technology, the Sensors Division is continually developing new ways to apply magnetostrictive sensing technology to solve critical applications in a variety of markets worldwide, including steel, wood, plastics, metalworking, automotive, and off-highway. It also applies megnetostrictive technology to the packaging, oil, gas, food and beverage, and medical industries. MTS Sensors Division has facilities in the U.S., Germany, and Japan, and is an ISO 9001 certified supplier committed to providing innovative sensing solutions that deliver customers with reliable, cost-effective position-feedback devices.

Test & Measurement

Omega is a major US company that manufacturers more than 80% of its product offerings in house ─ and this percentage is continuously increasing. At a time when “outsourcing” seems to be the foundation of many US manufacturers, Omega Engineering, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, remains a notable exception. Omega enjoys this leadership position because it strongly advocates process automation to achieve high productivity and create quality products. When commercial equipment is used, in-house automation handles the input and output processes. Omega’s automation engineers are among the most talented, and it has invested substantially in the model shops and labs needed to support them. Working with an equally talented staff of software engineers, they produce a wide range of custom automation equipment.

A CCD is a stamp-sized silicon sensor that acts as an eye for digital imaging devices. When light passes through a camera’s lens, it hits the CCD’s millions of photoelectric cells which convert that light into electrons. The more light a photocell is exposed to, the more electrons it holds. (This effect, called the photoelectric effect, earned Albert Einstein a Nobel Prize in 1921.) The information from each cell of the CCD is then translated into binary code, row by row, and finally recreated on a display as pixels. Since the CCD only captures images in black and while, filters are used to determine the colors of each pixel.

Boyle and Smith first came up with the idea of the CCD as a form of electronic memory in a brief brainstorming session at Bell Labs 1969. Its potential as an imaging technology was quickly realized and has been developed over the past 40 years. The first camera to include a CCD appeared in 1981, and the first fully digital camera was released in 1995. Today, the CCD has proven itself to be a valuable tool outside of consumer digital photography, particularly in the medical imaging and astronomy fields. Doctors use CCD endoscopes to look inside the human body without major surgery. The Hubble space telescope uses four, 0.64 megapixel CCD sensors to capture its photographs of deep space.

CCD technology is not without competition. In recent years CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensors have surged in popularity due to their low energy consumption and cheaper production costs.

www.macworld.com

The objective of the SBIR is to develop a comprehensive and networked health management capability that can be embedded directly into rotorcraft components. The project will support the development and demonstration of tiny, wireless energy harvesting radio frequency identification (EH-RFID™) nodes that provide part identification, performance monitoring, on-board storage of component usage history, and remaining useful life.

Energy harvesting combined with advanced wireless sensors represents a breakthrough technology that enables truly autonomous monitoring, reporting, and alerting. The new EH-RFID™ nodes to be developed under this Army SBIR will be compatible with MicroStrain’s new wireless sensor data aggregators (WSDA™), which synch wireless sensor networks and provide a remote portal to a secure server. WSDA™ devices feature an open architecture interface for integration with existing health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS), and stand-alone operation modes for data collection on aircraft without HUMS. WSDAs™ can also be programmed to send e-mail and SMS text message alerts if a potentially damaging event is detected.

“One of the unique aspects of this Phase I SBIR is that the EH-RFID™ sensor nodes consume very little energy, facilitating continuous operation using highly miniaturized energy harvesters. Our wireless, battery free RFIDs will break down the barriers to deploying widely distributed wireless sensor networks. Once embedded, these tiny sensors will reduce maintenance costs, increase mission readiness, and enhance safety”, said Steve Arms, President of MicroStrain.

MicroStrain
www.microstrain.com

AST’s CEO, Richard Tasker, credits advanced technology and the contributions of all of their employees with the company’s 288% revenue growth over the past five years.   AST is one of 28 Scientific/Technical Instrumentation companies on the list, representing 5.6% of the 500, one of 32 companies in New Jersey, 6.4%, and one of 4 Scientific/Technical Instrumentation companies in New Jersey, 0.8%.”

AST previously received the award for Technology Fast 500™ in 2004, 2005, and 2006.  Overall, Technology Fast 500™ award winners for 2009 had growth rates ranging from 212 to 146,050 percent over five years, with an average growth rate of 2,486 percent.

Technology Fast 500™ Selection and Qualifying Criteria

Technology Fast 500™ provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. This ranking is compiled from nominations submitted directly to the Technology Fast 500™ website, and public company database research conducted by Deloitte. Technology Fast 500™ award winners for 2009 are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth during the five year period from 2004 to 2008.

About American Sensor Technologies, Inc.

American Sensor Technologies, Inc. (AST) manufactures MEMS-based pressure sensors, pressure transducers and pressure transmitters that offer the best price-performance ratio in the industry.  Manufactured in New Jersey, AST pressure sensing products are built with a full selection of hazardous area and industrial approvals to service customer applications.  Common industries utilizing AST sensor products are industrial OEM hydraulic systems, fuel cells, medical gases, HVAC, refrigeration (ammonia, Freon, CO2), Oil & Gas exploration and production, and off-road vehicles.  AST’s exclusive, proprietary Krystal Bond™ Technology (an advanced process in which inorganic materials are molecularly diffused onto a metallic surface in the presence of certain gases), produces high-performance pressure sensing products through the use of a single piece of stainless steel.  AST offers a variety of UL and CSA approvals for Explosion-proof, Intrinsically Safe, and Non-incendive pressure transmitter applications.

About Deloitte

“Deloitte” is the brand under which tens of thousands of dedicated professionals in independent firms throughout the world collaborate to provide audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax services to selected clients. These firms are members of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT), a Swiss Verein. Each member firm provides services in a particular geographic area and is subject to the laws and professional regulations of the particular country or countries in which it operates. DTT helps coordinate the activities of the member firms but does not itself provide services to clients. DTT and the member firms are separate and distinct legal entities, which cannot obligate the other entities. DTT and each DTT member firm are only liable for their own acts or omissions, and not those of each other. Each of the member firms operates under the names “Deloitte,” “Deloitte & Touche,” “Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu,” or other related names. Each DTT member firm is structured differently in accordance with national laws, regulations, customary practice, and other factors, and may secure the provision of professional services in their territories through subsidiaries, affiliates and/or other entities.

http://www.astsensors.com/