One sensing tool that has played an important role since the beginning of COVID-19 is data loggers. Data loggers use a wide variety of sensors to measure everything from temperature to illuminance. One specific type of data logger equipped with a CO2 sensor has been used since the beginning of the pandemic to monitor and […]
Covid-19
How can the new temperature-sensitive COVID-19 vaccines’ temperatures be ensured?
The newly developed COVID-19 vaccines require low temperature storage to ensure their efficacy. For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically states that it should be stored in an ultra-cold freezer, thermal shipping container or refrigerator. The ultra-cold freezer’s temperature should be maintained between -80°C and -60°C (-112°F and […]
Want to kill Covid? 30 sec under 285-nm UV-LEDs will do it
Researchers from Tel Aviv University found that UV light at a wavelength of 285 nm was almost as efficient in disinfecting the Covid virus as a wavelength of 265 nm, requiring less than half a minute to destroy more than 99.9% of the coronaviruses. They say this result is significant because the cost of 285-nm […]
Now that’s cold: Batteries for covid vaccine handle -112°F
Bobbin-type lithium thionyl chloride (LiSOCl2) batteries from Tadiran Batteries are being specially modified for use in the cold chain demanded by Covid vaccine made by Pfizer. Pfizer says it has specially designed temperature-controlled thermal shippers utilizing dry ice to maintain recommended storage temperature conditions of -70±10°C for up to 10 days unopened. The firm will […]
NB-IoT/LTE-M SiP, SoC module supports low-power, complex IoT connectivity
Leading global technology solutions provider Avnet expanded its product line for rapid Internet of Things (IoT) development with the launch of the AVT9152 module, designed for a range of embedded applications requiring cellular connectivity yet demanding low power consumption and minimal component size. This addition to the Avnet ecosystem uses leading technology from Nordic Semiconductor to […]
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 […]
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’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 […]
Hey, engineers: be grateful you are not epidemiologists! (Part 1: Medical research)
Be honest: The uncertainties of leading-edge engineering R&D are quite modest compared to what medical research faces, especially in areas such as epidemiology. Like many of you, I have been trying to follow many of the numbers related to the Covid-19 virus as well as ongoing vaccine efforts – and I have given up. The […]
Hey, engineers: be grateful you are not epidemiologists! (Part 2: Engineering R&D)
Part 1 of this article looked at the challenges and unavoidable uncertainties facing so much of medical research, and why all-important replication of experiments is so difficult to accomplish. This part looks at the corresponding situation for engineering research and product assessment. After thinking about the medical-research situation, I compared the issues to those related […]
