All those accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses and in mobile and gaming applications add up quickly. In fact, in the new report “Motion Sensors for Consumer & Mobile Applications,” Yole Developpement researchers expect 2009’s sales of $847M to reach $2.56B in 2015 – a 20.3% annual growth rate. Yole projects that many applications will employ 3-axis […]
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Accelerometer Designed for Continuous Operation to +482°C (+900°F)
At 482°C, Meggitt Sensing Systems Endevco model 6233C is rated considerably higher than the recently announced 6222S model that had a maximum 260°C operating environment. Available standard ranges of 10, 50 and 100 pC/g, the model 6233C offers a differential output with excellent performance stability over temperature and a wide operational bandwidth. The case isolated […]
Color Sensors Use Alternative Approach
Instead of using colorimetric level to identify colors, MAZeT’s JENCOLOR color sensors use the radiometric level. The MMCS6 sensor family makes a color measurement with seven spectral characteristics in the range of 380 to 780 nm based on spectral estimation. This data is used to calculate the chromaticity coordinate. This provides a much higher information […]
Monitoring the Quality and Blending Accuracy of Fuels
If you can measure fuel density what else can you do? One thing is make a fuel density meter. That’s exactly what Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISSYS) has done. Using its microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology, ISSYS FuelSense meter can measure the different densities of ethanol, biodiesel and gasoline and monitor their purity and mixing ratio. […]
Pricing Concerns for Proximity Sensors? Check This Out.
Should sensor manufacturers proactively develop more cost-effective sensors? Balluff thinks so. Its announcement of a line of economical proximity sensors probably won’t start a price war but it should be good news to users for a variety of applications. The company’s Global.CProx line of capacitive sensors offers many of the same features of it existing […]
Using Integrated Giant Magnetoresistance Sensors for EVs and HEVs
At the SAE Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium in Anaheim, CA, Dusan Gravoc, senior manager and Head of Product Marketing for Infineon Technologies AG shows how an iGMR sensing IC can replace incremental encoders and resolvers in electric and hybrid vehicles. Infineon’s TLE5012 is housed in a small SO-8 package that targets integration in electrically commutated […]
Measuring Hydraulic Cylinder/ Actuator Travel and Tank Level
While many sensors, especially those based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, get increasingly smaller, some measurements dictate the need for a large or sufficiently long sensor. This is the case when measuring the position of moving machine parts in applications such as paper and pulp mills, injection molding machinery, turbine blades and process level management. […]
Track Calories Burned and More with Body Monitoring System
BodyMedia FIT Armband BW, a wearable body monitoring system, uses four sensors to track thousands of data readings and display them to show users their calories burned, steps taken, physical activity and sleep duration and efficiency. Using Bluetooth wireless technology, the results can be sent to an app on the user’s smartphone (iPhone or Android) for […]
Motion Sensing Monitors Swimming Activity
Using motion sensing technology, FINIS Swimsense Performance Monitor automatically detects and distinguishes stroke types, and records the number of laps swum, total distance, calories burned, lap time, pace and stroke count. The monitor fits in a watchband form factor and uses accelerometers, magnetometers and patent-pending proprietary algorithms to identify the user’s swim. The swimmer simply […]
Blood Pressure: There’s an App for That
It wasn’t difficult to find interesting products at 2011 CES that took advantage of sensor technology. For one, the Withings Blood Pressure monitor connects to an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The monitor stores measurements in these devices and they transmit it to the Withings website for an easy access from an internet browser. Using […]