Wireless applications that need continuous monitoring to save energy, detect unsafe or other avoidable conditions and need to avoid creating serious maintenance issues are prime candidates for energy harvesting. Steam trap monitoring provides an excellent example of this type of batteryless sensing. Roughly 20% of the steam leaving a typical facility’s central boiler plant in space […]
Energy Harvesting
Graphene Hall sensor operates at cryogenic temps and optimized for high field measurements
Paragraf introduces the GHS-C Graphene Hall Sensor (GHS), providing the industry’s only viable approach to measuring magnetic field strengths of 7 Tesla (T) and above, at temperature extremes below 3 Kelvin (K). Paragraf has entered volume production of the GHS-C, a Graphene-based Hall sensor optimized to provide high field measurements while operating at cryogenic temperatures. […]
How is human-powered wearable electronics progressing?
Researchers continue to search for improved solutions to power the many wireless, wearable sensing devices that are being developed to avoid frequent, or as frequent, charging and/or battery replacement. Two of the prominent research areas include thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and piezoelectric energy harvesters. With wearable thermoelectric generators (TEGs), the amount of thermo‐generated power strongly depends […]
Humidity/temperature transmitters handle hazardous environments
Vaisala launches a new next-generation humidity and temperature transmitter series to take advantage of advancements in technology and to meet and exceed current hazardous area regulations. The new Vaisala HUMICAP Intrinsically Safe HMT370EX Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series builds on over 20 years of experience with the trusted Vaisala HMT360 series with an even more robust and […]
NewTek designs submersible linear position sensors for offshore drilling
As offshore drilling goes into deeper depths, NewTek Sensor Solutions offers custom designs of Submersible Linear Position Sensors that offer high reliability and long-term operation in corrosive and high-pressure subsea environments. Constructed of special alloys, the Submersible Displacement Sensors can offer chemical resistance to water in depths exceeding 15,000 ft or more and with external […]
What’s new in temperature testing for COVID-19?
When COVID-19 appeared earlier this year, the first wide-spread testing to detect if a person had the disease involved temperature. In contrast to other invasive approaches, the need for improved temperature testing prompted a few companies to investigate and then develop their own approach. Dermal Photonics Corp. solution was a wearable smart thermometer called NIRA […]
How is self-powered clothing doing?
If you’re interested in the information and convenience that a wearable product can provide, you probably do not want to worry about how it gets its energy or when recharging is required and certainly do not want to change batteries. You just want to get uninterrupted information. One company built on offering invisible wearables has […]
How can backscatter communication improve wireless sensor networks?
As an integral part of the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are projected to have rapid growth. According to the “Wireless Sensor Network Markets” report, by 2023, there will be 3.4 billion annual WSN chipset shipments worldwide up from 1 billion in 2018. If the WSNs only use batteries for their power, […]
How can solar provide power to the IoT?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Ben Lanail, Director of Business Development at Alta Devices, explains how his company’s thin-film solar voltaic cells can provide power for a variety of devices and applications, including the Internet of Things (IoT). Made from wide band gap (WBG) gallium arsenide (GaAs), the cells have very good light to electricity conversion […]
Is the energy in energy harvesting really free?
Of course. However, the conversion process to get useful electricity certainly is not. Also, several design considerations must be taken into account to ensure a system’s success. This includes thinking differently about power consumption. With all of the wireless communications applications expanding in consumer, commercial and industrial applications, the power must be achieved without connecting […]
