What is a Sensor | Types of Sensors and Applications

Written By The IoT Academy
Published on September 6th, 2023
Updated on April 22, 2024

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides many opportunities to improve how businesses operate. IoT has enhanced the automation processes by collecting massive amounts of data via sensors. A sensor collects data from reliable resources which is further used for various purposes.

Data collected from sensors also helps businesses to make intelligent decisions about their operations. In this blog, we will discuss various types of sensors used in IoT along with their applications.

Table of Contents

What are Sensors in IoT?

Internet of Things sensors are those present inside connected devices that are categorized as IoT devices. These sensors can gather data and send it either directly or indirectly to the cloud or the edge. These sensors are also useful as standalone devices with processing and important communication capabilities. Moreover, you can connect them with machinery or devices.

Furthermore, these sensors also have processing and communication capabilities. They match the suitable requirements like low or high power and wireless connectivity. Hence, their smart sensing capabilities support many IoT applications. This also increases the usage of sensors in many situations.

Types of Sensors

You can classify sensors in the following forms:

1. Passive & Active

Passive Sensors are the ones that cannot independently sense the input. However, active sensors can sense the input independently.

2. Analog & Digital

In analog sensors, the sensor’s reaction or output is a continuous function of one or more of its input parameters. But, a digital sensor has a binary-based response.

3. Scalar & vector

Scaler sensors only use the input parameter’s magnitude to detect it. But in the case of a vector, the magnitude of the direction and orientation of the input parameter determines the sensor’s response.

What are Industrial Sensors?

Sensors exist in a variety of forms and sizes and are also available in many varieties.

Here are 14 types of industrial sensors examples.

Temperature Sensors: They measure how much heat is produced by an area or an object.
Proximity Sensors: They find the presence or absence of objects nearby without physical contact.
Infrared Sensors: Such sensors can either detect or emit infrared radiation. Hence, they are useful for sensing changes in the surrounding area.
Water Quality Sensors: As the name suggests, these sensors monitor the quality of water.
Chemical and Gas Sensors: They track the quality of air to identify any toxic or hazardous gas.
Pressure Sensors: They spot any change in a gas or liquid. Additionally, pressure sensors raise an alarm when the pressure range exceeds a defined threshold.
Smoke Sensors: Smoke detectors are very common in everyday use. Also, they have long protected our homes and places of business.
Motion Sensors: These sensors monitor physical movement in an area.
Gyroscope Sensors: A gyroscope sensor calculates the rotational speed around an axis measuring the angular rate or velocity.
Image Sensors: They turn optical pictures into signals. Additionally, they are useful for electronic file storage or display.
Humidity sensors: These sensors calculate the air’s water vapor content.
Accelerometer Sensors: They can identify an object’s orientation and the rate of change like tapping. They can also sense shaking, and positioning.
Level Sensors: They measure the presence of a variety of substances, such as liquids, powders, and grains.
Optical Sensors: These sensors take light measurements and turn them into electrical impulses.

What is the Use of Sensors?

Sensors can measure a variety of data on the actions occurring within a system. Thus, the use of sensors is not limited to industries. But, it is everywhere in home IoT, automation, safety, etc.

The information collected by sensors is also useful in:

Controlling various operations
Effectively using the resources
Keeping the system running effectively
Observing the processes for any anomalies
Modifying the design to further enhance performance
Future product portfolio enhancement

Examples of IoT Sensors

Some common examples of sensors used in IoT are:

Measurement of indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity.
Tracking plant growth in controlled environments like greenhouses or nurseries.
Monitoring motion or tracking movement.
Measuring light, UV rays, and lux using a light sensor.
Finding Air quality and content of CO2, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and Particulate Matter (PM) in the atmosphere.
Checking Water Quality using water quality sensors for wastewater.
Finding Soil moisture through a soil moisture sensor. Moreover, sensors play a crucial role in smart agriculture.
Finding acceleration to measure the effect of bodily collisions with hard objects.

These are some of the common sensor examples in industries, labs, and also in smart homes.

Future of Sensors in IoT

The future of IoT sensors holds tremendous potential for innovation and transformation across various industries. IoT sensors play a critical role in collecting real-time data from the physical world, enabling organizations to make informed decisions, automate processes, and improve efficiency. Here are some key trends and developments in the future of sensors in IoT:

Miniaturization and Cost Reduction
Multimodal Sensors
Edge Computing
5G and Low-Latency Networks
AI and Machine Learning Integration
Energy Harvesting
Security and Privacy
Blockchain for Data Integrity
Smart Cities and Environmental Monitoring
Customized and Printable Sensors

Overall, the future of sensors in IoT is marked by increasing integration, intelligence, and adaptability. These developments will drive innovation across various sectors, leading to a more efficient and data-driven decision making process.

Conclusion

The Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem works using sensors. They are also essential for spotting changes in the environment and gathering useful data. Moreover, an efficient sensor makes the data collection process easier. However, the gadget, its function, and how your users will use it will all influence the kind of sensors you choose for it.

Furthermore, Sensors respond to inputs from the environment and process that data. Thus, you can display or transmit the data for further processing. Join The IoT Academy to learn more about sensors used in IoT systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Which is the first sensor?

Ans. The first sensor’s name was “Faraday’s Electromagnetic Sensor”. It was used to measure how strong an electric current was.

Q. Are the transducer and sensor are same?

Ans. The transducer transforms one type of energy into another like turning mechanical energy into electrical impulses. But, sensors are devices that recognize a particular input, such as light, temperature, pressure, or motion. Additionally, all transducers are not sensors but many sensors can be transducers.

About The Author:

The IoT Academy

The IoT Academy as a reputed ed-tech training institute is imparting online / Offline training in emerging technologies such as Data Science, Machine Learning, IoT, Deep Learning, and more. We believe in making revolutionary attempt in changing the course of making online education accessible and dynamic.