Industries and organizations have been using various kind of sensors for a long time but the invent of The internet of things has taken role of sensors and evolutions of sensors to a completely different level.
IoT platforms function and deliver valorous kind of intelligence and data using a variety of sensors. They serve to collect data, pushing it and sharing it with a whole network of connected devices. All this collected data makes it possible for devices to autonomously function, and the whole ecosystem is becoming "smarter" every day.
By combining a set of sensors and a communication network, devices share information with one another and are improving their effectiveness and functionality.
Take Tesla vehicles as an example. All of the sensors on a car record their perception of the surroundings, uploading the information into a massive database. The data is then processed and all the important new pieces of information are sent to all other vehicles. This is an ongoing process, through which a whole fleet of Tesla vehicles is becoming smarter every day.
Let's take a look at some of the key sensors, extensively being used in the IoT world.
Temperature sensors
These sensors have been deployed for a long time in variety of devices. However, with emergence of IoT, they have found more room to be present in an even greater number of devices. Only a couple of years ago, their uses mostly included A/C control, refrigerators and similar devices used for environment control.
However, with the advent of the IoT world, they have found their role in manufacturing processes, agriculture and health industry. In the manufacturing process, many machines require specific environment temperature, as well as device temperature. With this kind of measurement, the manufacturing process can always remain optimal.
On the other hand, in agriculture, the temperature of soil is crucial for crop growth. This helps with the production of plants, maximizing the output.
In the health industry, many experiments, and drug storage temperature conditions have to be respected. With these sensors, maintenance is made much easier, making following the protocols a much simpler endeavor.
Proximity sensor
The car industry is rapidly developing, working on making it possible for vehicles to drive you and not the other way around. This is made possible by an abundance of sensors, some of which we are going to talk about in the passages below. One of the sensors that are quite useful include proximity sensors.
In combination with all the other sensors on the vehicle, it ensures that the vehicle remains away from any obstacles from all sides of the vehicle.
However, it is important to note that this is only one of its applications. Proximity sensors are largely used in the retail industry, as they can detect motion and the correlation between the customer and product they might be interested in. A user is immediately notified about discounts and special offers of nearby products.
They are also used for parking availability in big places such as malls, stadiums or airports.
Pressure sensor
There are plenty of devices that rely on liquid or other forms of pressure. Also, whole systems involve pressure for proper function. These sensors make it possible to create IoT systems that monitor systems and devices that are pressure propelled. Once a drop in pressure occurs, the device notifies the system administrator about any problems that should be fixed.
Deployment of these sensors is very useful in manufacturing, but also in maintenance of whole water systems and heating systems, as it is easy to detect any fluctuation or drops in pressure.
Water quality sensor
Water is practically used everywhere. These sensors play an important role as they monitor the quality of water for different purposes. They are used in a variety of industries.
Chemical sensor
Chemical sensors are applied in a number of different industries. Their goal is to indicate changes in liquid or air chemical changes. They play an important role in bigger cities, where it is necessary to track changes and protect the population.
Gas sensor
Gas sensors are similar to the chemical ones, but are specifically used to monitor changes of the air quality and detect the presence of various gases. Like chemical sensors, they are used in numerous industries such as manufacturing, agriculture and health.
Smoke sensor
Smoke sensors have been in use for a long period of time. However, with the development of IoT, they are now even more effective, as they are plugged into a system that immediately notifies the user about any problem that occurrs in different industries.
Beside the accommodation industry, these sensors are used in manufacturing, where there is a high risk of fires. This serves to protect people working in dangerous environments, as the whole system is much more effective in comparison to the older ones.
IR sensors
These sensors have entered the health industry gradually. They are now used in a variety of IoT projects, as they make monitoring of blood flow and blood pressure simple. They are even used in a wide array of regular smart devices such as smartwatches and smartphones.
However, their usage does not end there, they are also a great tool for ensuring high level security in your home. Also, their application includes environment checks, as they can detect a variety of chemicals and heat leaks. They are going to play an important role in the smart home industry, as they have a wide-range of applications.
Level sensors
Like IR sensors, level sensors are present in wide array of industries. They are primarily known for measuring fuel levels, but they are also used in businesses that work with liquid materials. For example, the recycling industry, as well as the juice and alcohol industry rely on these sensors to measure the amount of liquid assets in their possession.
This helps better streamline their businesses, as sensors collect all the important data at all times. With the use of these sensors, any product manager can precisely see how much liquid is ready to be distributed and whether the manufacturing should be stepped up.
Image sensors
An average consumer would think that this is a regular camera, but even though this is not far from the truth, image sensors are connected with a wide range of different devices, making their functionality much better.
One of the best known uses includes the car industry, in which imagery plays a very important role. With these sensors, the system can recognize signs, obstacles and many other things that a driver would generally notice on the road. They play a very important role in IoT industry, as they directly affect the progress of driverless cars.
They are also implemented in improved security systems, where images help capture details about the perpetrator.
In the retail industry, these sensors serve to collect data about customers, helping businesses get a better insight into who is actually visiting their store, race, gender, age are only some of useful parameters that retail owners get by using these IoT sensors.
Motion detection sensors
Motion detection plays an important role in the security industry. Businesses utilize these sensors in areas where no movement should be detected at all times, and it is easy to notice anybody's presence with thee sensors installed.
On the other hand, these sensors can also decipher different types of movements, making them useful in some industries where a customer can communicate with the system by waving a hand or by performing a similar action. For example, someone can wave to a sensor in the retail store to request assistance with making the right purchase decision.
Even though their primary use is correlated with the security industry, as the technology advances, the number of possible applications of these sensors is only going to grow.
Accelerometer sensors
These sensors are now present in millions of devices, such a smartphones. Their uses involve detection of vibrations, tilting and acceleration in general. This is great for monitoring your driving fleet, or using a smart pedometer. In some instances, it is used as a form of anti-theft protection, as the sensor can send an alert through the system if an object that should remain stationary is moved.
Gyroscope sensors
These sensors are always combined with accelerometers. The use of these two sensors simply provides more feedback to the system. WIth gyroscopic sensors installed, many devices can help athletes improve the efficiency of their movements, as they gain access to the athletes movement during sports activities.
This is only one example of its application, however, as the role of this sensor is to detect rotation or twist, its application is crucial for the automation of some manufacturing processes.
Humidity sensors
These sensors usually follow the use of temperature sensors, as many manufacturing processes require perfect working conditions. Through measuring humidity, you can ensure that the whole process runs smoothly, and when there is any sudden change, action can be taken immediately, as sensors detect the change almost instantaneously.
Optical sensors
Optical sensors are loved by IoT experts, as they are practical for measuring different things simultaneously. The technology behind this sensor allows it to monitor electromagnetic energy, which includes, electricity, light and so on.
Due to this fact, these sensors have found use in healthcare, environment monitoring, energy, aerospace and many more industries. With their presence oil companies, pharmaceutical companies and mining companies are in a much better position to track environmental changes while keeping their employees safe.
It is clear that IoT has become incredibly popular, and current trends show that it is the future. It simply helps with automation of various processes, making these systems quite useful for both regular consumers and businesses.
We are yet to see the full potential this technology carries, as the whole platform is becoming smarter through the fusion of all the abovementioned sensors. When you consider the fact that all of the measured data is collected and can be analyzed, it is obvious that IoT is going to become even smarter in the future.
Finoit Technologies is a renowned mobile application development company providing web development services and IOT application development services. We have developed over 450 mobile apps, and have assisted many solopreneurs in their journey of startups by functioning as a tech partner and rolling out their product ideas. For questions/queries, you may write to us at [email protected] for any query or requirement.
