If advanced factories strictly concentrate on the machinery without taking human beings into account, will the robots have to consume the products they build? When Henry Ford installed the first moving assembly line to mass produce an entire automobile (Dec. 1, 1913), he more than doubled the wages of assembly line workers to stabilize his […]
How has COVID-19 impacted the sensor market?
In its current report, “Smart Sensors Market – Growth, Trends, Forecasts (2020 – 2025),” Mordor Intelligence, a market research firm, includes information regarding the direct impact of COVID-19 as well as the indirect impact from other industries on the sensor market. Taking this into account, the report forecasts that the smart sensors market will grow […]
How can sensors ensure safety for extreme temperature requirements?
The medical device industry requires extreme high temperatures in autoclaves to disinfect reusable devices and tools. As we have been reminded of recently with announcement of COVID-19 antibiotics, medicines as well as bio-samples require low temperatures for preservation in storage and transportation. Both of these extremes require sensors to monitor and maintain the proper temperature […]
What is exponential technology?
In his presentation at the COMSWORLD2020 virtual event, Janusz Bryzek of eXo Imaging, described many details to support his premise of the exponential acceleration of healthcare problems. According to Bryzek, the convergence of exponential technologies or ExTech is accelerating the availability of healthcare to all. Exponential technologies include different types of health sensors, big data, […]
What is a Molecular Property Spectrometer sensor?
To measure and classify a wide range of combustible gases, NevadaNano has integrated multiple, complementary chemical sensors on a single silicon chip called the Molecular Property Spectrometer or MPS sensor. The chip’s patented array of micro-cantilevers with integrated piezoelectric sensing elements provides electrical actuation and sensing of resonance frequency. Monitoring resonance is a highly sensitive […]
What is anosmia?
One of the common symptoms of COVID-19 is loss of smell or anosmia. This is not uncommon for patients with viral upper respiratory infections. The good news is this is temporary in most cases. The bad news is this prevents the personal detection of odors associated with critical odors from gas leaks, smoke from fires […]
What is photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS)?
Identified in the 19th century, the photoacoustic effect allows the conversion of light into sound and has been employed in devices such as non-dispersive infrared absorption spectroscopy (NDIR), which was the first commercially available device to detect gases using this effect. Modulating the light intensity produces a periodic pressure variation, which is measured with a […]
How can a load cell force sensor be used in increasingly smaller end products?
A smaller form factor is frequently on the must have list for many next generation products. However, compromising performance is usually not an acceptable tradeoff. This is especially true in medical products such as force sensors where both precision and miniaturization are required. For example, vascular clamps are used to reduce the flow of blood […]
What are the results of the 2019 MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card survey?
Since microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology involves numerous sensors from pressure sensors to accelerometers, gyroscopes and more and actuators such as microvalves, micromotors, micromirrors and more as well as many new areas, there should be broad industry interest in the results of the 2019 report card. The MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card is a survey of […]
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 […]