Sensing has changed a lot since the early days of industrial automation. “Back 250 years ago, your sensors were actually people. They were your manufacturing engineers that would walk around and listen to the machines and hear what’s going on,” says John Tuley, from IoT Business Development -Sensor Solutions at TE Connectivity. In Industry 4.0, […]
How are multi-axis sensors improving product development?
With a multi–axis sensor design, a single load cell sensor can measure 3 axes of force and 3 torque moments simultaneously. These sensors consist of multiple bridges that precisely measure the applied force from one direction with minimal crosstalk from the other axes. Using a multi-axis sensor, forces can be measured simultaneously in three mutually […]
How has sensing changed in industrial automation? (Part 1)
The Industrial Revolution or what we might call Industry 1.0 started over 250 years ago. In 1771 Richard Arkwright, today known as Father of the Factory System, used water to power the first fully automated spinning mill. One hundred years later, the automotive assembly line initiated the Second Industrial Revolution or Industry 2.0 with significantly […]
What sensing events will be held in 2022?
January is a great time to line up major sensing activities for the rest of the year. The following provide an idea of what will occur in 2022 for sensor experts to attend or present the results of their recent efforts. Fast approaching, the 7th Annual Sensors Global Summit 2022 will be held March 2-3 […]
How can you sense ripening fruit?
A diet high in fruit (and vegetables) can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, inflammation and diabetes. But the fruit needs to be fresh for a sustainable, healthy diet. Several techniques are being used to detect ripening fruit. One company, smartGAS in Germany, has two different sensors to detect the ethylene (C2H4) that […]
How can you see through walls?
It depends on what you want to “see” and how much you want to pay. To locate a stud, the old school technique of tapping a tool on the wall for acoustic differences used hearing rather than sight and it was free. Initially, battery-operated stud finders used magnets to find screws and nails and provided […]
How can smart sensors help solve the supply chain problem?
According to a recent article/analysis from Deloitte, (Smart sensors and supply chain innovation), “Companies should consider investing in smart sensors to increase value capture through their supply chains after carefully prioritizing their business objectives and defining their use cases.” Several recent developments lead them to this recommendation. The capabilities of today’s smart sensors are a […]
Can a dog’s sense of smell be duplicated? Part 2
Part 1 of this blog discussed the progress that has been made by researchers to create a sensor and add artificial intelligence for detecting cancer in test subjects. While their research was very focused, it could lead to other applications where dogs’ sense of smell helps solve difficult but common problems. Perhaps other researchers will […]
Can a dog’s sense of smell be duplicated?
Dogs’ sensitive noses and their ability to be trained to detect a variety of medical issues/diseases is well known. Using their sense of smell, trained dogs can detect lung, breast, ovarian, bladder and prostate cancers. For prostate cancer, dogs had a 99 percent success rate in detecting the disease in patients simply by sniffing urine […]
How can sensors improve a worker’s posture and reduce discomfort?
Activities part of the BIONIC project were on full display at the recent MEDICA 2021, held Nov 15-18, 2021, in Dusseldorf Germany. The BIONIC (for Body Information ON an Intelligent Chip) project is funded by the European Union. The project’s goal involves “Personalized Body Sensor Networks with Built-In Intelligence for Real-Time Risk Assessment and Coaching […]
