With state-of-the-art tracking telematics technology and a wide variety of sensors, a logistic service that provides ship, train and roadway/trucking and, in some cases, air transportation can literally track the container and monitor its contents from the shipping dock to the final destination. One company that provides data and services for the supply chain industry, […]
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
How small do the sensors in microrobots have to be?
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has created many of the sensors in today’s smartphones. While similar types of sensors are also used in robots and drones as well as other technologies including a variety of vision sensors, they may have to be even smaller to fit in an autonomous microrobot. Inspired by insects’ movements, engineers from […]
What types of sensors are used in underwater navigation and exploration? (Part 2 of 2)
Underwater navigation and exploration require special sensors for object detection and imaging. Part 1 of this blog addressed cameras and sonar. LiDAR is also used for underwater applications. Studying the depths and shapes of underwater terrain or bathymetry can be performed by bathymetric LiDAR. The airborne approach to scanning the seafloor uses a green wavelength […]
What types of sensors are used in underwater navigation and exploration? (Part 1 of 2)
Unlike land or airborne vehicles that can use radar and cameras to locate and identify objects underwater navigation and exploration present greater challenges. If underwater visibility is good, cameras provide a good source of information. Increasing resolution and the number of cameras are among the improvements that have been made in the recent past to […]
How can system designers integrate sensors quicker?
To make designing with the sensor easier, best practices and guidelines compiled by the application experts at the sensor manufacturer and other tools can simplify user’s implementation and avoid pitfalls that have been observed in previous system designs. This is certainly true for sensors (transducers) that convert mechanical forces to electrical signals and have mechanical […]
How does 3GPP Release 13 impact sensors?
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, provides seven telecommunications standard development organizations a stable environment to produce the reports and specifications that define 3GPP technologies. The organizations include Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) (Japan), Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Telecommunications Standards […]
How do you connect sensors to the cloud quicker?
Sensor suppliers make cloud connectivity easier and faster by offering special design kits and tools. For example, STMicroelectronics recently launched SensorTile.box, STEVAL-MKSBOX1V1, so users can easily collect and send sensor information to the cloud. With Bluetooth® Low Energy connectivity to a smartphone, the multi sensor kit allows the design of wireless IoT and wearable sensor […]
What’s the secret to increasingly smaller sensors?
Actually, it’s no secret, but microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and integrated circuit technology provide breakthroughs in size and the ability to further decrease size with next-generation designs. The breakthroughs can occur both in the research & development area and in volume production. In the R&D area, CEA-Leti has prototyped a next-generation optical chemical sensor using mid-infrared […]
Can scent be an effective means to detect cancer?
According to research presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting, the answer is yes. The results of ongoing testing were made by BioScentDx, a company with the mission to use canine scent detection to develop screening techniques for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Lead researcher Heather Junqueira reported that three […]
What’s new in sensors for autonomous vehicles? Part 2
Focused industry conferences were identified in Part 1 as a means of finding the latest status of the sensors used in autonomous vehicles. Another approach is a comprehensive report on the topic. With the LiDAR for Automotive & Industrial Applications report, Yole Développement provides its second insight into LiDAR technology and market aspects impacted by […]
