Oceans comprise about 96.5% of the water-covered surface (71%) of the Earth. Surprisingly, the salinity of these huge bodies of water varies considerably. Interconnected masses and layers mix together and split apart through currents, eddies, and changes to temperature and salinity, where salinity is measured in practical salinity units or PSUs. The Practical Salinity Scale 1978, […]
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Integrating MEMS technology into next-gen vehicle safety features
Sensor technology has revolutionized the automotive sector, enabling significant advancements in safety, comfort, and automation. Today, vehicles have systems that leverage precise sensing capabilities to enhance the driver and passenger experience while reducing road risks. MEMS (Micro-Electrical Mechanical Systems) technology is at the forefront of this innovation, providing the compactness, accuracy, and reliability required for […]
How does multi-sensor calibration work in autonomous vehicles?
Multi-sensor calibration of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in autonomous vehicles ensures accurate data fusion by aligning various sensors (like cameras, LiDAR, and radar) into a unified coordinate system, enabling precise perception and localization. This article reviews the types and techniques of multi-sensor calibration of ADAS. ADAS sensor calibration uses a combination of intrinsic considerations […]
How are sensors in driver monitoring systems changing?
Government regulations, such as European Union (EU) General Safety Regulations and various New Car Assessment Programs (NCAP) requiring driver monitoring system (DMS) and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandating child presence detection (CPD) systems in new cars, are incentivizing car makers and system suppliers to add more sophisticated sensors inside of new vehicles. The […]
What tools are available for calibrating sensors?
Tools used for calibrating sensors range from basic multimeters and multi-product calibrators to application-specific tools, like pressure calibrators, calibration baths, and infrared blackbody calibrators, depending on the type of sensor and the measurement requirements. As sensors get more sophisticated and precise, so do the tools used to calibrate them. Sensors require calibration to deliver consistent […]
What are simple ways to improve sensor performance?
Although improving a sensor’s actual performance is not usually possible, with proper selection, system design, and integration, improving sensor performance at the system level is very possible. Tools available for sensor performance optimization include selection, placement, operation, and signal conditioning/processing. It begins by selecting a sensor with the appropriate range, resolution, sensitivity, accuracy, response time, […]
What’s the difference between Maxwell’s equations and Maxwell’s relations?
Maxwell’s equations are fundamental tools for electric and magnetic fields, while Maxwell’s relations focus on thermodynamic quantities like temperature, pressure, volume, and entropy. For more on Maxwell’s equations, see “What are the fundamentals of Maxwell’s equations and how do they relate to TENGs?” Maxwell’s relations give designers a powerful tool for analyzing thermodynamic systems like […]
How did sensing help identify the Las Vegas Tesla torcher?
As part of a global campaign targeting and seeking to punish Elon Musk for his involvement in DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), many people damaged Tesla vehicles, Tesla sales and service centers, and even Tesla public chargers. One of the more significant attacks occurred at a Las Vegas dealership where several (at least 5) […]
What kinematic equations are important for industrial robots?
A kinematic model is a mathematical representation of a robot’s motion that focuses on the geometric relationships between elements and ignores external forces that affect motion. Kinematic models are used for planning and controlling the paths of industrial robots. Forward kinematics determines the current position and orientation of the end effector based on the angles […]
How are single photon sensors used in quantum computing?
Single-photon sensors, also known as single-photon detectors (SPDs), enable the precise detection and manipulation of individual photons, which can serve as quantum information carriers, or qubits, in photonic quantum computers (PQCs). PQCs are a type of measurement-based quantum computing (MBQC) that promises highly scalable systems and operates at room temperature. Instead of using quantum gates, […]
