Sensors Technology: Technology Advancement, Benefits and Global Trends

Being the eyes and ears of every technology, sensors have made its market in almost industry across the world. In today’s world, the internet of things (IoT) has gained momentum, which has spurred the growth of the sensor industry. The constantly evolving sensor technology has become the most appealing for the IoT sector. From monitoring environment to ensuring safety, sensor tech has quickly permeated every aspect of our lives. In fact, IoT could not exist without the use of smart sensors. Today, smart cities, smart factories, and smart warehouses are using a number of smart sensors to collect real-time data to achieve real-time decision-making capabilities.

What are smart sensors?

In layman’s term, a smart sensor has three important components: a sensor that collects data from the environment, a microprocessor to compute the output of the sensor, and medium to communicate the output of the microprocessor for action. To keep up with the recent trend, the IoT sensors must include wireless communication, be smart enough to compute the data remotely, and easily programmable to update with new technology.  

Benefits of smart sensors

The most prominent benefit that a smart sensor offers is increased visibility into existing workflow and processes to gain real-time data. For instance, logistics firms can outfit their fleet of vehicles using smart sensors to detect the real-time location of each truck.

While companies have begun to mine data from all kinds of sensors, another benefit that smart sensors offer is predicting what comes next. For instance, smart sensors in logistics would help gather information regarding the delivery of packages, driver’s driving style, and the size & weight of packages. Moreover, smart sensors could provide information regarding various external factors such as traffic or weather conditions that hold protentional to hamper the delivery.

Future of sensors industry

According to Allied Market Research, the sensor market is expected to garner $287 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 9.5% from 2018 to 2025. The advent of 5G is expected to fuel the growth of adoption of sensors in daily lives as it would be easy to work with a large number of sensors, especially in the areas where data latency is a pressing issue.

Apart from this, the increased use of edge computing would propel the growth of the sensor industry. With the increasing use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for data analysis, the use of smart sensors in IoT devices helps to make the decisions quickly and more accurately. Thus, we should expect a smaller sensor that could fit seamlessly in a device without making the system bulky.

Moreover, it is expected that we would find sensors that are self-powered and self-healing that are capable of repairing itself in the event of a disaster and structural damage. Additionally, micro-sensor implants are another opportunity that cannot be overlooked. Micro-sensor implants in patients could track the healing process for internal injuries, offering healthcare professionals to take the necessary actions considering the data generated by sensors. In short, the opportunities for smart sensors are limitless in the era of artificial intelligence and IoT, where sensors are the heart and soul of every application.

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