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In this paper, a new flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor which uses non-woven fabric as the flexible substrate and sliver nanowires (AgNWs) as the conductive materials was reported.

The compression test of the pressure sensors was carried out at different compression frequencies and found that the sensors had more than 5,000 times reusability at high frequency.

When pressure sensors were applied to different parts of the human body, such as fingers, elbows, knees and throat, the sensors respond differently to different degrees of movement.

The proposed pressure sensor has broad application prospects in the human motion detection.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a capacitance vehicle weighing device. The key part of this device is the capacitance vehicle weighing sensor. This paper discusses the static and dynamic performance test of capacitance vehicle weighing sensor with emphasis, and provides theoretical analysis, in order to provide the tests and theoretical basis for the popularization and application of the vehicle weighing device.

The paper gives an introduction to the weighing sensor in respects of the structure design and measuring principles, with the emphasis on the static and dynamic performance of the testing processes. Then, the paper provides the corresponding testing processes and data with theoretical analysis.

This weighing sensor can be applied to static as well as dynamic tests thus the capacitance vehicle weighing device is practical and worthy of promotion and popularization.

The capacitance vehicle weighing device is characterized by its simple structure, simple measuring circuits, strong reliability in anti‐interference, small size and low cost. The static performance is of little repetitive error, and the use of software may efficiently solve the problems of non‐linearity and hysteresis. In dynamic measurement, the speed, acceleration and vibration of the vehicle produce little effect on the result, which can be neglected, thus being able to overcome the disadvantages of the traditional weighing method which is of low speed and great errors.

Outlines the development of an electronic nose for general application and examines it’s three major parts: a sensor array, a means of converting the sensor outputs into suitable signals for analysis, and a software analysis tool. Describes the sensor array, electronics and overall system design, the conducting polymer sensors and the computer hardware and software. Discusses the analysis techniques and results of tests carried out on various gases, vapours and liquids. Concludes that although much further work is required into sensors and analysis techniques it is anticipated that a growing number of companies will become interested in developing these systems.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the theoretical relationship between the layout of four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array tracking system and systematic observation accuracy, and provide an algorithm to determine the optimal arrangement of four‐sensor acoustic array and an indicator to evaluate acoustic array system measurement accuracy.

In the present paper, the measurement principle of the four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array tracking system is analyzed, and the system observation model and the conversion relationship between models are established. Subsequently, the optimization algorithm for the four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array is deduced, the theoretical optimal arrangement of the four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array tracking measurement system is obtained based on the optimal position dilution of precision function (PDOPF) of 2D target, and the static experimental study on sound‐source bearing estimation is designed. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental results of the present study.

The measurement accuracy of the four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array tracking system is largely dependent on the layout of the acoustic sensor. Theoretical studies and experimental results demonstrated that an optimal PDPOF can be used to analyze the rationality of the layout. It can also serve as an indicator for the layout of the four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array tracking system.

The PDOPF value is presented as an indicator for the evaluation of the four‐sensor dynamic acoustic array systematic observation accuracy based on theoretical analysis. The feasibility of the indicator and the rationality of the sensor layout in practical engineering application are verified through experimental studies on sound‐source bearing estimation. The higher the PDOPF value is, the lower the accuracy of the system will be.

This article aims to provide an insight into recent deliberations on the possibility of a global sensor market reaching one trillion units per annum within the next decade.

Following an introduction, which includes details of the TSensors Summit, this article discusses existing high volume sensor applications with multi-billion unit growth prospects. It then considers certain new and emerging applications, including the Internet of Things. This is followed by technological considerations and a brief discussion.

The possibility of a global sensor market reaching one trillion units per annum within the next decade is the topic of serious debate. Several applications representing multi-billion levels have been identified and the ongoing TSensors Summit activities seek to identify further high volume, high growth uses and the factors that will stimulate them. While MEMS will play a central role, other, often new sensor technologies will be vital to achieving the trillion unit level.

This article provides a timely review of recent deliberations surrounding the feasibility of achieving a global, trillion sensor market.

Recent wireless communication and electronics technology has enabled the development of low‐cost, low‐power, and multi‐functional sensor nodes. However, the fact that sensor nodes are severely energy‐constrained has been an issue and many energy‐efficient routing protocols have been proposed to resolve it. Cluster‐based routing protocol is one of them. To achieve longer lifetime, some cluster‐based routing protocols use information on GPS‐based location of each sensor node. However, because of high cost, not all sensor nodes can be GPS‐enabled. The purpose of this paper is to propose a simple dynamic clustering approach to achieve energy efficiency for wireless sensor networks (WSN).

Instead of using location information of each sensor node, this approach utilizes information of remaining energy of each sensor node and changes in the number of cluster head nodes dependent on the number of sensor nodes alive. Performance results are presented and compared with some related protocols.

The simulations described in the paper show that both residual energy of each sensor node and changing cluster head nodes depending on the number of sensor nodes alive are very critical factors to obtain performance enhancement in terms of lifetime and data transmission. Especially, in some special environment, the proposal has better performance than GPS‐enabled protocol.

The paper is of value in proposing a simple dynamic clustering approach to achieve energy efficiency for WSN.

The purpose of this paper is to provide details of a high sensitivity electric field sensor developed by Plessey Semiconductors.

Following a background to the sensor's origins, this paper describes the principle of operation and then discusses three recently launched products and their applications. Finally, a range of other potential uses are considered.

This shows that the sensors offer the unique ability to detect very low electric fields, with or without physical contact. Products have been launched which are finding applications in healthcare and motion detection but many other uses are anticipated in such diverse areas as material testing, forensics, automotive safety, analytical technology and even earthquake prediction.

The paper describes a new type of electric field sensor which has the potential to satisfy a diversity of medical and industrial applications.

Develop a method for the optimal placement of sensors in order to detect the largest number of contaminant release scenarios with the minimum amount of sensors.

The method considers the general sensor placement problem. Assuming a given number of sensors, every release scenario leads to a sensor input. The data recorded from all the possible release scenarios at all possible sensor locations allow the identification of the best or optimal sensor locations. Clearly, if only one sensor is to be placed, it should be at the location that recorded the highest number of releases. This argument can be used recursively by removing from further consideration all releases already recorded by sensors previously placed.

The method developed works well. Examples showing the effect of different wind conditions and release locations demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure.

The method can be used to design sensor systems for cities, subway stations, stadiums, concert halls, high value residential areas, etc.

The method is general, and can be used with other physics‐based models (puff, mass‐conservation, RANS, etc.). The investigation also shows that first‐principles CFD models have matured sufficiently to be run in a timely manner on PCs, opening the way to optimization based on detailed physics.

To measure the force applied to the tissue, the traditional endoscopic graspers might be equipped with a kind of tactile force sensor.

This paper presents the design, analysis, microfabrication and testing of a piezoelectric and capacitive endoscopic tactile sensor with four teeth. This tactile sensor, which is tooth‐like for safe grasping, comprises a Polyvinylidene Fluoride, PVDF film for high sensitivity and is silicon‐based for micromachinability. Being a hybrid sensor, employing both capacitive and piezoelectric techniques, it is possible to measure both the static and dynamic loads. Another feature, to be considered in its design, is the ability to detect pulse. The proposed sensor can be integrated with the tip of any current commercial endoscopic grasper without changing its original design. It is shown that using an array of sensor units, the position of the applied load can still be determined.

The static response of the sensor is obtained by applying a static force on the tooth and measuring the change in capacitance between the bottom electrode of the PVDF film and the electrode deposited on the surface of the etched cavity. The dynamic response of the device is determined by applying a sinusoidal force on the tooth of the sensor and measuring the output voltage from the PVDF film. The experimental results are compared with both analytical and finite element results. The sensor exhibits high sensitivity and linearity.

Capaciyive and piezoelectic are used to obtain both dynamic,pulse, and static loads. The sensor micromachined so, it can be used in various endoscopic applications.

Reviews the Institute of Physics conference “Sensors & their Applications XI”, held at City University, UK in September 2001. Highlights a selection of key papers covering gas sensor arrays for fire detection, fibre optic sensors for structural strain monitoring and detection of biofouling, fluorescent sensor for detecting algae and thick film sensors for smartcard biometrics. Reviews briefly other papers and draws conclusions.