Expert Outreach on Sensors | Use of Sensors in Daily Life

In our day-to-day life we frequently use various sensors in multiple electronic gadgets, devices and machines. Let us consider the most popular electronic gadget mobile phone, brought the advantages of integrated multi-sensor technology. Thus, application of various sensors facilitated multiple advantages and usage of sensors in daily is growing with the rapid growth of advancement in sensor technology.

What is a Sensor?

First and foremost, we must know what is a sensor?

A sensor can be defined as a transducer which can sense or detect some characteristics or changes and correspondingly provides an output. This output is usually an optical signal, or electrical signal, thermocouple can be considered as a temperature sensor and is used to convert temperature to output voltage.

Types of Sensors

There are various types of sensors which are classified based on sensor types such as acoustic, automotive, chemical, electric, force, flow, optical, pressure, proximity, sound, vibration, and so on. In electrical and electronics, various types of sensors can be listed as current sensor, hall effect sensor, metal detector, and so on.

Different types of Sensors used in Daily Life

In our daily life, we can observe the usage of various sensors in electronic gadgets, devices, and machines such as mobile phones, washing machines, refrigerators, air coolers, air conditioners, dryers, automobiles or vehicles, automatically operating doors, self switching street lights or automatic outdoor lighting system, motion based lighting system, temperature based fan speed control system, and so on.

The air coolers, air conditioners, refrigerators, hand-dryers, etc., uses temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors for automatic operation and controlling purpose. Similarly, automobiles such as cars are comprised of several sensors. In our daily life, the persons or people frequently pass through the doors in places like shopping malls, classrooms, offices, etc., where it is difficult to operate doors manually. Hence, PIR sensors or motion sensors are used to detect the human beings passing and thus, the doors are automatically opened and closed.

Here, in this article we gathered a few comments on sensors and their use in daily life from a few experts.

They are many different types of sensors in electronics and these devices are used to measure temperatures, light, humidity, sound, stress, strain, pressure, velocity and many more.

Viswanath Prathap, M.Tech(EPE), B.Tech(EEE)
Technical Content Writer

The most typically used mobile phones have various sensors, including accelerometer & gyroscope, digital compass, barometer, etc.,. Accelerometer & gyroscope sensors are used to detect the linear and angular rotation of the mobile phone by measuring the rate of change. Digital compass or magnetometer sensor is used to navigate maps by detecting physical orientation such that the digital maps are rotated accordingly (phone always knows the direction of North). Proximity sensors help to display screen light or not depending on the phone is near to the user or not which is detected by sending infrared rays.

Sampath Kumar, M.Tech(VLSI), B.Tech(ECE)
Technical Content Writer

The term LDR stands for a light dependent resistor is an electrical device, which are also called as light sensitive, photo conductors and photo cells. These devices are made up of semiconductor material with high resistance. The working principle of LDR sensor is photo conductivity, when the light is absorbed by the material then it reduces the conductivity of the material. The applications of the LDR mainly involve where there is a need to sense the presence or absence of light such as street light systems, light intensity meter, burglar alarm circuits etc.