Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sensors

Access the latest developments used in sensor-related technologies. Learn more about essential applications for specialized sensors and durable designs for extreme conditions.

Stories

Briefs: Wearables

Washable Sensor Can Be Woven Into Materials

The device could impact composites manufacturing and health monitoring.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Adaptive Spatial Resolution Enables Focused Fiber Optic Sensing

This innovation dynamically provides fast signal processing and precision measurement.

Briefs: Materials

Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) Actuator

This technology has applications in sonar, range measuring, directional-force sensors, flow meters, and vibration/noise sensing and control.

Briefs: Data Acquisition

Photovoltaic-Powered Sensors

RFID-based devices work in indoor and outdoor lighting conditions and could transmit data for years before they need to be replaced.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Products of Tomorrow

Products include an aerosol scattering sensor; metal foam; and a new coated drug capsule.

Briefs: Aerospace

Metallization for SiC Semiconductors

This technology provides simultaneous ohmic contacts and the process to make them.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Packaging for SiC Sensors and Electronics

This packaging provides protection for SiC sensors and electronics in harsh, hightemperature environments.

Facility Focus: Test & Measurement

Facility Focus: NASA John H. Glenn Research Center

Glenn's research facilities have contributed to decades of technology advances.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Enhanced Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Reader

The reader uses a frequency multiplexer to boost its ability to accurately locate a greater number of RFID tags.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

MMOD Impact Detection and Location

This system uses fiber optic strain sensing to detect and locate micrometeoroid/orbital debris.

Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Valve Position Sensor Protects Switch Boxes from Salt Environment

Salty air the Dutch city of Harlingen causes exposed metal parts to corrode.

Briefs: AR/AI

Artificial Skin Provides Haptic Feedback

The skin could help rehabilitation and enhance virtual reality by instantaneously adapting to a wearer's movements.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Algorithm Gives Robots a Faster Grasp

The algorithm speeds up the planning process that robots use to adjust their grip on objects.

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Docking System Enables Safe Rendezvous in Space

The ESA has commissioned its industry partners to design a new docking system called the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism (IBDM).

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Biologically Inspired Artificial Skin Improves Sensory Ability of Robots

A synthetic skin enables robots to sense their own bodies and surroundings

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

WiFi-Based Technique Measures Speed and Distance of Indoor Movement

A technology uses a combination of WiFi signals and accelerometer technology to track devices in near-real-time.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The Role of Sensors in the Evolution of Robotics

Sensing technology will help to transform manufacturing floors into the connected factories of the future.

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Collaborative Automation: It's More Than Just the Cobot

“Cobots” allow companies of almost any size to automate processes that were previously out of reach.

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

A Breakthrough in Earthquake Forecasting: Floating Buoy Measures Seafloor Motion

New measurements could help experts guess the location and size of the next earthquake.

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

A Mechanical Gyroscope, Inspired by Insects

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory took inspiration from flying insects to create a miniaturized gyroscope, a special sensor used in...

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

'Direct Thermal Charging Cell' Turns Waste Heat into Power

A new charging cell wants to use low-grade heat from our industrial processes to power our devices.

Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition

A.I. in the Air

Will we be able to trust autonomous drones? We explore the question in our latest episode of Here's an Idea.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Mathematical Technique Quickly Tunes Next-Generation Lenses

Most of us know optical lenses as curved, transparent pieces of plastic or glass, designed to focus light for microscopes, spectacles, cameras, and more. For the most part, a lens’...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Optical Neural Network Could Lead to Intelligent Cameras

UCLA engineers have made major improvements on their design of an optical neural network — a device inspired by how the human brain works — that can identify objects or process...