Advances in sensing technologies are increasing the functionality of devices in many industries including consumer, wearable devices, medical, industrial and automotive. Explore our resources to get technical expertise and stay up to date with sensor trends and sensing technology.
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4D Radar: Extraordinary sensors for the cars of tomorrow
August 15, 2024
The full realization of NOA requires three main sensing technologies – camera lens, millimeter wave (mmWave) radar, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Each of these technologies has its own strengths and limitations, which complement the othe
Navigating the Future: How Avnet is addressing challenges in AMR Design
By
Jamie Pederson
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April 16, 2024
Autonomous Mobile Robots are performing tasks that are too dangerous, tedious, or costly for humans. Designing AMRs involves many technical and business challenges. This article covers these challenges and how Avnet will help you overcome them.
The importance of programmable technology in a smarter digital age
December 15, 2023
Programmable technologies like PGA and programmable IC offer significant competitive advantages that will play an increasingly important role in the digital age.
Choosing the right image sensor for machine vision applications
By
David Hustler
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January 6, 2023
The core component in any machine vision system, the image sensor has a major influence on product performance—but there's no universal right fit. There are many aspects to consider, and every manufacturer's product is different.
How engineers cut development time in half for an EV fire warning system
December 5, 2022
Through rapid prototyping, Amphenol developed sensor modules that reliably detect carbon dioxide and hydrogen from cell decomposition venting for early warning of lithium cell thermal runaway.
It’s good to be back! Reunited at Embedded World 2022
By
Philip Ling
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July 26, 2022
With some new solutions from leading suppliers, and a major announcement between Amazon Web Services and Avnet, the Embedded World exhibition and conference reflects what’s important to the wider industry.
A closer look at SiC quality
June 27, 2022
Silicon carbide builds on established manufacturing methodologies but requires entirely new manufacturing processes. Increasing yield and reducing costs relies on imposing the highest quality at every stage.
DMS: Don't fall asleep at the wheel – I'm watching you!
June 20, 2022
Until humans can comfortably "hand over the steering wheel" to machines, "human-machine co-driving" will dominate the automotive market. A recent development in this scenario is the Driver Monitor System (DMS).
How robust testing forms part of the SiC supply chain
June 10, 2022
In high reliability/availability applications, SiC semiconductors are seen as emerging technology. This article explains their benefits and how an end-to-end supply chain with robust testing makes SiC a safe design option.
BCG Sensing Technology Brings You “Closer” to Your Heart
May 23, 2022
Professional medical terminals like BCG devices, which are both non-sensing and require minimal management, are bound to occupy an important place in the future wave of smart sensing, smart life and smart medical care.
Smarter lighting makes for healthier people
March 23, 2022
Lighting can have an important effect on our well-being and effectiveness. In fact, lighting matters so much that UNESCO designated May 16 as the annual International Day of Light to recognize its role in healthy living.
Putting the smarts into building automation
March 21, 2022
Smart building automation can augment the capabilities of today’s building management systems and create new data flows that reveal insights about how a building is functioning and used. It can also enable new revenue streams for building managers.
Technologies for drones, robots and autonomous vehicles
February 17, 2022
When we talk about autonomous applications, devices such as drones, robots and driverless vehicles come to mind. What they all have in common is the ability to gather information on their surroundings, process this data, interpret it and act on it.
Vision systems: Processing at the edge, in the cloud, or both?
February 17, 2022
Computer vision perfectly exemplifies the conundrum developers face when comparing processing data in the cloud or at the edge. That is, should the data generated by the camera be processed locally, in the cloud or both?
A comparison of vision sensing technologies in autonomous systems
By
Philip Ling
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February 15, 2022
Electronic sensors provide autonomous systems with essential information. The type of sensor used determines how this information is captured and how useful it is. This data-driven approach brings with it some tough design decisions.
How electronic sensors mirror nature
February 15, 2022
Recent research puts sensors at the top of the list of technologies of interest to engineers. Find out how the latest electronic devices replicate some of the most amazing sensory capabilities found in nature.
How no-code design could accelerate Industrial IoT development
By
Philip Ling
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January 14, 2022
Developing large numbers of new and diverse devices for an Industrial IoT solution can challenge your engineering resources. Using a no-code approach to development can reduce the size and complexity of that challenge.
Time-of-flight cameras make patient monitoring secure and private
January 14, 2022
A growing need exists for alternative solutions to patient monitoring applications in healthcare facilities. Time-of-flight cameras enable sensors to read position data of scenes within the field of view, but without identifying patient information.
What is sensor fusion? Let's start with the story of the blind men and the elephant.
July 15, 2021
When multiple pieces of information on the features of the object are integrated, more complete and accurate pictures can be formed. This method of integrating multiple sensors is called “sensor fusion.”
A mask that can detect viruses – who wouldn’t want one?
July 15, 2021
Engineers from MIT and Harvard University have jointly developed a new type of mask that embeds sensors in the fabric and can diagnose whether the wearer has COVID-19 in just 90 minutes, with an accuracy comparable to standard PCR tests.
The growing role of sensors in modern building management systems
The key enabler of intelligent buildings is sensing technology that provides the raw data upon which these services rely. The relatively low cost of deploying many sensor types is also encouraging developers to deploy them.
What Types of Sensors Are Required by the Trillion-Dollar IIoT Market?
January 1, 2020
The trillion-dollar IIoT is the driving force behind a new surge of development for industrial sensor products. Keeping abreast of this exciting trend in the IIoT sector will help ensure that our new designs are both relevant and innovative.
Will the smart speaker market cool off?
January 20, 2019
The news at the start of this year that Tencent had suspended its smart speaker project ‘Tingting’ sent chills down the spines of many. What’s more, statistics show that half of the 50 Chinese companies that had invested in smart speakers when
Choosing A Pressure Sensor
October 12, 2018
Pressure sensors’ accuracy is an important performance attribute, which is typically given as a percentage of full-scale pressure over a certain temperature range. Some sensors also exhibit hysteresis, non-repeatability and non-linearity, which sho
MEMs Revolutionizes Sensor Landscape
July 19, 2018
Until fairly recently—roughly 15 to 20 years ago—sensors for ubiquitous physical parameters such as pressure, motion and magnetic fields were relatively large, costly, power-hungry and electrically incompatible with standard circuitry.
Can the “spare tire” of 3D facial recognition move into the mainstream?
August 21, 2017
The 3D facial recognition market is expanding rapidly. According to a forecast from Trend Force, the 3D sensing market will grow exponentially, reaching $10.89 billion in 2020 and $18 billion by 2023. The penetration rate of 3D facial recognition in
How to create a touch screen you can “feel”
August 9, 2017
Haptics is an excellent “companion” for touch screens in that it gives users a “sense” of “touch”. Although the main sources of external information are visual and auditory, many users agree that the tactile stimulus enabled by haptics ac
What Can We Do About Waste Sorting?
August 1, 2017
With the aim of easing the pain and facilitating the process of waste sorting, intensive research and development is focused on smart rubbish bins. In the waste disposal process, from disposal, collection and transport to treatment, rubbish bins conn
Monitoring Impact Levels in Sports
April 20, 2017
Concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), is a very serious topic in the world of sports today.
Wearables: Tracking, Computing and Making Sense of Context Awareness
April 15, 2017
Wearable devices are moving quickly from concept to reality based on evolving technologies such as sensor fusion, communications and vision. Wearables have evolved to become perceptually aware agents that learn through users’ experiences, activitie