SENSORS,ACTUATORS & SMART

OBJECTS
• SENSORS
• A sensor does exactly as its name indicates: It senses.
• A sensor measures some physical quantity and converts that measurement
reading into a digital representation.
• That digital representation is typically passed to another device for
transformation into useful data that can be consumed by intelligent devices or
humans.
SENSOR TYPES
• Active or passive: Sensors can be categorized based on whether they produce an
energy output and typically require an external power supply (active) or whether
they simply receive energy and typically require no external power supply (passive).

• Invasive or non-invasive: Sensors can be categorized based on whether a sensor is

• part of the environment it is measuring (invasive) or external to it (non-invasive).

• Contact or no-contact: Sensors can be categorized based on whether they require

• physical contact with what they are measuring (contact) or not (no-contact).

• Absolute or relative: Sensors can be categorized based on whether they measure on

• an absolute scale (absolute) or based on a difference with a fixed or variable reference
• value (relative).
• Area of application: Sensors can be categorized based on the specific
industry or vertical where they are being used.
• How sensors measure: Sensors can be categorized based on the
physical mechanism used to measure sensory input (for example,
thermoelectric, electrochemical, piezoresistive,optic, electric, fluid
mechanic, photoelastic).
• ■ What sensors measure: Sensors can be categorized based on their
applications or what physical variables they measure.
SENSOR CATEGORIZATION
Sensor Types Description Examples
Acoustic Acoustic sensors measure sound Microphone,
levels and geophone,
convert that information into hydrophone
digital or analog
data signals.
Humidity Humidity sensors detect humidity Hygrometer,
(amount of humistor, soil
water vapor) in the air or a mass. moisture sensor
Humidity
levels can be measured in various
ways: absolute
humidity, relative humidity, mass
ratio, and so on.
Light Light sensors detect the presence Infrared sensor,
of light (visible photodetector,
or invisible). flame detector
Sensor Types Description Examples
Radiation Radiation sensors detect radiation Geiger-Müller
in the counter, scintillator,
environment. Radiation can be neutron detector
sensed by
scintillating or ionization detection.

Temperature Temperature sensors measure the Thermometer,

amount of heat or cold that is calorimeter,
present in a system. They temperature
can be broadly of two types: gauge
contact and non-contact. Contact
temperature sensors need
to be in physical contact with the
object being sensed. Non-contact
sensors do not need physical
contact, as they measure
temperature through convection
and radiation.
Sensor Types Description Examples
Chemical Chemical sensors measure the Breathalyzer,
concentration of chemicals in a olfactometer, smoke
system. When subjected to a mix of detector
chemicals, chemical sensors are
typically selective for a target type
of chemical (for example, a CO2
sensor senses only carbon dioxide).
Biosensors Biosensors detect various biological Blood glucose
elements, such as organisms, biosensor,
tissues, cells, enzymes, pulse oximetry,
antibodies, and nucleic acid. electrocardiograph
ACTUATORS
• Actuators are natural complements to sensors.

• Actuators receive some type of control signal (commonly an electric

signal or digital command) that triggers a physical effect, usually some
type of motion, force, and so on.
• The human brain signals motor function and movement, and the
nervous system carries that information to the appropriate part of the
muscular system.

• Correspondingly, a processor can send an electric signal to an

actuator that translates the signal into some type of movement
(linear, rotational, and so on) or useful work that changes or has a
measurable impact on the physical world.

• This interaction between sensors, actuators, and processors and the

similar functionality in biological systems is the basis for various
technical fields, including robotics and biometrics.
Classification on Actuators
• Can be classified based on:
• Type of motion: Actuators can be classified based on the type of
motion they produce (for example, linear, rotary, one/two/three-
axes).
• Power: Actuators can be classified based on their power output (for
example, high power, low power, micro power)
• Binary or continuous: Actuators can be classified based on the
number of stable-state outputs.
• Area of application: Actuators can be classified based on the specific
industry or vertical where they are used.
• Type of energy: Actuators can be classified based on their energy
type.
• Most commonly used classification is based on energy type:
TYPE EXAMPLES

Mechanical actuators Lever, screw jack, hand crank

Electrical actuators Thyristor, biopolar transistor, diode

Electromechanical actuators AC motor, DC motor, step motor

Electromagnetic actuators Electromagnet, linear solenoid

Hydraulic and pneumatic actuators Hydraulic cylinder, pneumatic cylinder,

piston, pressure control valves, air motors
TYPE EXAMPLES
Smart material actuators Shape memory alloy (SMA), ion exchange
(includes thermal and magnetic actuators) fluid, magnetorestrictive material, bimetallic
strip, piezoelectric bimorph
Micro- and nanoactuators Electrostatic motor, microvalve, comb drive

• Whereas sensors provide the information, actuators provide the action.

• The most interesting use cases for IoT are those where sensors and actuators work together in an
intelligent, strategic, and complementary fashion.
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
• Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), sometimes simply
referred to as micro-machines, can integrate and combine electric
and mechanical elements, such as sensors and actuators, on a very
small (millimeter or less) scale.
• One of the keys to this technology is a microfabrication technique
that is similar to what is used for microelectronic integrated circuits.
• This approach allows mass production at very low costs.
• The combination of tiny size, low cost, and the ability to mass
produce makes MEMS an attractive option for a huge number of IoT
applications.
• EXAMPLE : Inkjet printers use micropump MEMS, Accelerometer and
Gyroscope in Smart Phones.
SMART OBJECTS
• Smart objects are, quite simply, the building blocks of IoT.

• Often used interchangeably with terms such as smart sensor, smart

device, IoT device, intelligent device, thing, smart thing, intelligent
node, intelligent thing, ubiquitous thing, and intelligent product.
SMART OBJECTS
• A device that has, at a minimum, the following four defining
characteristics:
• Processing unit: A smart object has some type of processing unit for
acquiring data, processing and analyzing sensing information received
by the sensor(s), coordinating control signals to any actuators, and
controlling a variety of functions on the smart object, including the
communication and power systems.
• Example: Microcontroller
SMART OBJECTS
• Sensor(s) and/or actuator(s): A smart object is capable of interacting
with the physical world through sensors and actuators. a smart object
can contain one or multiple sensors and/or actuators, depending
upon the application.
• Communication device: The communication unit is responsible for
connecting a smart object with other smart objects and the outside
world (via the network). Communication devices for smart objects
can be either wired or wireless.
• Power source: Smart objects have components that need to be
powered. Interestingly, the most significant power consumption
usually comes from the communication unit of a smart object.
• Driven by Battery Power.

• Wirelessly connected smart objects generally have one of the

following two communication patterns:
• Event-driven: Transmission of sensory information is triggered only
when a smart object detects a particular event or predetermined
threshold.
• Periodic: Transmission of sensory information occurs only at periodic
intervals.
• Note: Smart objects with limited processing, memory, power, and so
on are often referred to as constrained nodes.