In the human body, the thalamus provides a relay station for the body’s motor functions and sensory inputs. It enables the control of the flow of sensory-motor information to the cerebral cortex. This control occurs during different states including sleep, wakefulness, consciousness, learning, and memory. The sensory information processed includes hearing, taste, sight, and touch […]
How do sensors for magnetic sensing applications work? Pt 2
At Sensors Expo 2019, Neil Cersell, President of the Cersell Company Inc., explains his company’s magnetic sensors that are available beyond the magnetic actuation market (Pt 1). With the three-wire, solid-state sensor, Cersell solves a rather simple but costly problem. In the North American market, a PNP type is prevalent and in the European market, […]
What are the do’s and don’ts of sensor commercialization?
If you have a new sensor or sensor technology that you want to establish in the marketplace, getting some advice from industry experts could prevent you from making mistakes that others have made. The Micro, Nano and Emerging Technologies Commercialization Education Foundation (MANCEF) is an excellent source for experts in this area. MANCEF’s charter is […]
How can you sense tilt to control a robotic arm?
At Sensor Expo 2019, Devon Brock, Manager of Product Knowledge for the Sensor Group within TE Connectivity explains the DOG2 microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) -based inclinometer used to control a robotic arm. The two-axis tilt sensor provides ±90-degree measurements in the x and y axes. In the robotic arm, the inclinometer with its built-in electronic provides […]
What does complete predictive machine maintenance look like?
At Sensor Expo 2019, Edoardo Gallizio from product marketing for MEMS & Sensors in the Americas at STMicroelectronics demonstrates a complete predictive maintenance reference design. Multiple sensors are part of the monitoring where some sensors are mounted directly on a spinning wheel to continuously measure vibration. The sensors gather the data, a microprocessor accesses the […]
What happens when the earth moves?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Satya Dixit from Applications and Systems Engineering at Rohm Semiconductor explains the capabilities and applications for an earthquake sensor module. The earthquake detection module (BP3901) has correctly detected 200 out of 205 previous cases of seismic events. Waveform differences between a seismic event and an external event such as a collision […]
How can you improve the next-generation IMU?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Lou Thaddeo, the Director of Business Development for Thales Visionix Inc. discusses how Visionix’s newest NavChip Series 3 inertial measurement unit (IMU) plays a critical role in helmet mounted displays for pilot head tracking and other applications. The 6-axis (3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope) IMU implements enhanced performance over NavChip Series […]
How does sensor fusion improve an alarm system?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Tanja Hofner, a Principal Hardware Engineer for RF and Sensors in Infineon’s Power Management and Multimarket segment explains the operation of the company’s Integrated Alarm System demo. The demo uses two Infineon sensors: the digital XENSIV IM69D130 microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone and a DPS310 digital barometric pressure sensor as well as […]
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 […]
What makes a winning sensor?
At Sensor Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Travis Taylor, an Associate MTS at Maxim Integrated, demonstrates the Health Sensor Platform 2.0 that won the Sensors Expo 2019 Innovative Product of the Year Award. It can measure electrocardiogram (ECG), optical heart rate and temperature. In addition to its wrist-worn display, the measured information can be […]
