Universal Sensor Research Articles

A dynamic thermal sensing mechanism with reconfigurable expanded-plane structures

The precise measurement of temperature is crucial in various fields such as biology, medicine, industrial automation, energy management, and daily life applications. While in most scenarios, sensors with a fixed thermal conductivity inevitably mismatch the analogous parameter of the medium being measured, thus causing the distortion and inaccurate detection of original temperature fields. Despite recent efforts on addressing the parameter-mismatch issue, all current solutions are constrained to a fixed working medium, whereas a more universal sensor should function in a variety of scenes. Here, we report a dynamic and reconfigurable thermal sensor capable of highly accurate measurements in diverse working environments. Remarkably, thanks to the highly tunable thermal conductivity of the expanded-plane structure, this sensor works effectively on background mediums with a wide range of conductivity. Such a development greatly enhances the robustness and adaptability of thermal sensors, setting a solid foundation for applications in multi-physical sensing scenarios.

Sensors for Digital Transformation in Smart Forestry.

Smart forestry, an innovative approach leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), aims to enhance forest management while minimizing the environmental impact. The efficacy of AI in this domain is contingent upon the availability of extensive, high-quality data, underscoring the pivotal role of sensor-based data acquisition in the digital transformation of forestry. However, the complexity and challenging conditions of forest environments often impede data collection efforts. Achieving the full potential of smart forestry necessitates a comprehensive integration of sensor technologies throughout the process chain, ensuring the production of standardized, high-quality data essential for AI applications. This paper highlights the symbiotic relationship between human expertise and the digital transformation in forestry, particularly under challenging conditions. We emphasize the human-in-the-loop approach, which allows experts to directly influence data generation, enhancing adaptability and effectiveness in diverse scenarios. A critical aspect of this integration is the deployment of autonomous robotic systems in forests, functioning both as data collectors and processing hubs. These systems are instrumental in facilitating sensor integration and generating substantial volumes of quality data. We present our universal sensor platform, detailing our experiences and the critical importance of the initial phase in digital transformation-the generation of comprehensive, high-quality data. The selection of appropriate sensors is a key factor in this process, and our findings underscore its significance in advancing smart forestry.

Investigation of the mechanics of the grappling circuits of robotic manipulators for adaptive uniform gripping objects

There are many designs of robotic manipulator grippers. In this work, a study of adaptive gripping schemes for objects with a spherical shape was carried out. To evaluate the grip, pressure sensors are used, installed on the phalanges of the “fingers” of the grip, the values of which are preset in a certain range. However, there is no universal sensor that responds optimally to the entire range of pressures from very high to minimal values. Therefore, each such pressure sensor has its own range of values; they correspond to the nominal operating mode of the sensor. The European Union has established standards for fruits and vegetables. The shape of these products is approximately spherical, with some slight variations in shape in lemons and oblong tomatoes. The mechanical properties of apples, pears and tomatoes, etc. were also measured. That is, for each type of such product there must be a specific sensor with a specific small range of force changes. In addition, the gripper must, when in contact with the object with all its “fingers,” create equal forces for uniform grasping. To investigate this, grips with flexible traction elements, having several phalanges on the fingers and having an adaptation to the surface of the fetus in their structure, are analyzed here.

A universal CRISPR-Cas14a responsive triple-sensitized upconversion photoelectrochemical sensor

It has recently been discovered that, like other members of the Cas family (12a and 13a), the clustered regularly interspaced short palindrome repeat CRISPR-Cas14a system not only mediates high-sensitivity detection with exceptionally strong gene editing ability but is also generally useful for DNA detection via fluorescence. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors have been widely applied as efficient analytical tools. Measuring electrical signals is more cost-effective and the necessary equipment is more easily portable than fluorescence signal detectors, but their stability still needs to be improved. The high base resolution of CRISPR-Cas14a can compensate for such shortcomings. Therefore, electrical signals and fluorescence signals were combined, and the development of a universal CRISPR-Cas14a-responsive ultrasensitive upconversion PEC sensor is described in this paper. Moreover, strand displacement amplification (SDA) and a near-infrared (NIR) light source were utilized to further improve the stability and sensitivity of the photoelectric signals. At the same time, the modified working electrode (UCNPs-ssDNA-CdS@Au/ITO) on the three-electrode disposable sensor was used as the reporter probe, which cooperates with the trans-cleavage activity of Cas14a endonuclease. To verify the universality of this sensor, the UCNPs-Cas14a-based PEC sensor was applied for the detection of the small-molecule toxin T2 and protein kinase PTK7. Here, we report that the limit of detection of this reagent was within the fg range, successfully applied to the detection of T2 in oats and PTK7 in human serum. We propose that by combining PEC and CRISPR-14a, UCNPs-Cas14a-based PEC sensors could become powerful drivers for the extensive development of ultrasensitive, accurate and cost-effective universal sensors for detection and diagnosis.

An electrochemical biosensor based on CuFe PBA/MoS2 nanocomposites for stable and sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide and carcinoembryonic antigen

An increasing number of electrochemical biosensors have been constructed to detect single bioactive substances with high sensitivity, but not multiple bioactive substances with different properties. Therefore, we incorporated Cu and Fe elements into Prussian blue to form Prussian blue analogues (PBA) to improve the electrochemical catalytic activity of Prussian blue. At the same time, MoS2 is used as the material substrate to increase the electrochemical active site of the composite. We have constructed a universal electrochemical sensing platform using composite materials (CuFe PBA/MoS2) as electrode modification materials for detecting two different types of representative cancer biomarkers, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The universal electrochemical biosensor showed a significant linear response to both H2O2 and CEA with the lowest detection limits of 0.23 μM and 0.01 ng mL−1, respectively, and it had high selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. The universal electrochemical biosensor is successfully applied to detect H2O2 released from human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells and CEA expressed on the surface of human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells. The developed biosensor has potential in the dynamic detection of the flux of H2O2 and the expression level of CEA from living cells. The high sensitivity of this universal sensor provides a novel strategy for simultaneously detecting multiple cancer biomarkers.

39‐2: Ultra‐Thin Integrations of Optical Array Sensors with Displays and any Transparent Surface for Fingerprint Imaging and Beyond ‐ toward a Universal Sensor for Display

An in‐screen ultra‐thin optical waveguide fingerprint sensing technology was demonstrated as an example of glass photonics (vs silicon photonics). It can be seamlessly integrated with OLED displays of phone devices or any other transparent surfaces for large area (or even full screen) in‐screen fingerprint sensing. Due to its unique optical designs with sensors facing the opposite side of the cover glasses, the fingerprint sensors can measure undistorted images with very high resistance to ambient light. The theory of optical designs and the system architecture of sensors are explained. A 1.1 inch sensor arrays were fabricated and integrated to OLED displays and transparent surfaces to verify the performances of the new fingerprint sensing technologies. It shows that the proposed system can successfully acquire the fingerprint images under 100,000Lux ambient light intensity.

Acoustic research for telecoms: bridging the heritage to the future

In its early age, telecommunication was focused on voice communications, and acoustics was at the heart of the work related to speech coding and transmission, automatic speech recognition or speech synthesis, aiming at offering better quality (Quality of Experience or QoE) and enhanced services to users. As technology has evolved, the research themes have diversified, but acoustics remains essential. This paper gives an overview of the evolution of acoustic research for telecommunication. Communication was initially (and for a long time) only audio with a monophonic narrow-band sound (i.e. [300–3400 Hz]). After the bandwidth extension (from the wide-band [100–7000 Hz] to the full-band [20 Hz–20 kHz] range), a new break was the introduction of 3D sound, either to provide telepresence in audioconferencing or videoconferencing, or to enhance the QoE of contents such as radio, television, VOD, or video games. Loudspeaker or microphone arrays have been deployed to implement “Holophonic” or “Ambisonic” systems. The interaction between spatialized sounds and 3D images was also investigated. At the end of the 2000s, smartphones invaded our lives. Binaural sound was immediately acknowledged as the most suitable technology for reproducing 3D audio on smartphones. However, to achieve a satisfactory QoE, binaural filters need to be customized in relation with the listener’s morphology. This question is the main obstacle to a mass-market distribution of binaural sound, and its solving has prompted a large amount of work. In parallel with the development of technologies, their perceptual evaluation was an equally important area of research. In addition to conventional methods, innovative approaches have been explored for the assessment of sound spatialization, such as physiological measurement, neuroscience tools or Virtual Reality (VR). The latest development is the use of acoustics as a universal sensor for the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected environments. Microphones can be deployed, preferably with parcimony, in order to monitor surrounding sounds, with the goal of detecting information or events thanks to models of automatic sound recognition based on neural networks. Applications range from security and personal assistance to acoustic measurement of biodiversity. As for the control of environments or objects, voice commands have become widespread in recent years thanks to the tremendous progress made in speech recognition, but an even more intuitive mode based on direct control by the mind is proposed by Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs), which rely on sensory stimulation using different modalities, among which the auditory one offers some advantages.

Applications of the sensor network to examine human vital signs

The article deals with the currently available devices used in sensor networks to examinehuman vital signs and the available knowledge about sensors and their sensitivity to electromagneticinterference. The article contains the basic concepts describing the studied issues that allow usto understand the be-ing researched scientific field. In addition, it contains requirements for theimplementation of the sen-sor network for the requirements of the services. This will allow you toillustrate the issues related to the development of a universal sensor network that increases the securityof a soldier on the battlefield. It should also be borne in mind that with the final implementation it willalso be necessary to carry out additional tests in difficult environments due to electromagnetic radiation.Keywords: sensor network, sensors, vital signs, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic interference.

Sulfur-Doped Organosilica Nanodots as a Universal Sensor for Ultrafast Live/Dead Cell Discrimination.

Rapid and accurate differentiation between live and dead cells is highly desirable for the evaluation of cell viability. Here, we report the application of the orange-emitting sulfur-doped organosilica nanodots (S-OSiNDs) for ultrafast (30 s), ultrasensitive (1 μg/mL), and universal staining of the dead bacterial, fungal, and mammalian cells but not the live ones, which satisfies the requirements of a fluorescent probe that can specifically stain the dead cells. We further verify that the fluorescence distribution range of S-OSiNDs (which are distributed in cytoplasm and nucleus) is much larger than that of the commercial dead/fixed cell/tissue staining dye RedDot2 (which is distributed in the nucleus) in terms of dead mammalian cell staining, indicating that S-OSiNDs possess a better staining effect of dead cells than RedDot2. Overall, S-OSiNDs can be used as a robust fluorescent probe for ultrafast and accurate discrimination between dead and live cells at a single cell level, which may find a variety of applications in the biomedical field.

Sensing Capabilities of Single Nanowires Studied with Correlative In Situ Light and Electron Microscopy.

Modern devices based on modular designs require versatile and universal sensor components which provide an efficient, sensitive, and compact measurement unit. To improve the space capacity of devices, miniaturized building elements are needed, which implies a turning away from conventional microcantilevers toward nanoscale cantilevers. Nanowires can be seen as high-quality resonators and offer the opportunity to create sensing devices on small scales. To use such a one-dimensional nanostructure as a resonant cantilever, a precise characterization based on the fundamental properties is needed. We present a correlative electron and light microscopy approach to characterize the pressure and environment sensing capabilities of single nanowires by analyzing their resonance behavior in situ. The high vacuum in electron microscopes enables the characterization of the intrinsic vibrational properties and the maximum quality factor. To analyze the damping effect caused by the interaction of the gas molecules with the excited nanowire, the in situ resonance measurements have been performed under non-high-vacuum conditions. For this purpose, single nanowires are mounted in a specifically designed compact gas chamber underneath the light microscope, which enables direct observation of the resonance behavior and evaluation of the quality factor with dependence of the applied gas atmosphere (He, N2, Ar, Air) and pressure level. By using the resonance vibration, we demonstrate the pressure sensing capability of a single nanowire and examine the molar mass of the surrounding atmosphere. Together this shows that even single nanowires can be utilized as versatile nanoscale gas sensors.

Sensing with ion current rectifying solid-state nanopores

This review gives a current opinion on the state of the art of ion rectifying solid-state nanopore sensors, as well as on the recent directions and challenges of the field, focusing in particular on the progress made in the last two to three years. The review explains the phenomenon of ion current rectification in geometrically asymmetric nanopores and the principle of sensing with these systems. Aside from the conventional approach of analyte immobilization onto the pore surface, some intriguing sensing schemes that decouple the pore selectivity from the surface and promise a more flexible sensing approach are also presented. Lastly, an overview of the recent effort towards amplifying the ion currents and the rectification of these sensors is given, followed by a brief discussion of future perspectives for the field. • Decoupling the selectivity of detection from the pore surface can lead to universal sensors. • Maximizing ion current magnitude and rectification ratios is needed to enhance sensitivity. • Various mesopores and micropores have shown enhanced current magnitudes or rectification. • Examples of practical ion current rectifying nanopore sensors highlight real-world potential.

Comparative Analysis of Structural and Dynamical Features of Ribosome Upon Association With mRNA Reveals Potential Role of Ribosomal Proteins.

Ribosomes play a critical role in maintaining cellular proteostasis. The binding of messenger RNA (mRNA) to the ribosome regulates kinetics of protein synthesis. To generate an understanding of the structural, mechanistic, and dynamical features of mRNA recognition in the ribosome, we have analysed mRNA-protein interactions through a structural comparison of the ribosomal complex in the presence and absence of mRNA. To do so, we compared the 3-Dimensional (3D) structures of components of the two assembly structures and analysed their structural differences because of mRNA binding, using elastic network models and structural network-based analysis. We observe that the head region of 30S ribosomal subunit undergoes structural displacement and subunit rearrangement to accommodate incoming mRNA. We find that these changes are observed in proteins that lie far from the mRNA-protein interface, implying allostery. Further, through perturbation response scanning, we show that the proteins S13, S19, and S20 act as universal sensors that are sensitive to changes in the inter protein network, upon binding of 30S complex with mRNA and other initiation factors. Our study highlights the significance of mRNA binding in the ribosome complex and identifies putative allosteric sites corresponding to alterations in structure and/or dynamics, in regions away from mRNA binding sites in the complex. Overall, our work provides fresh insights into mRNA association with the ribosome, highlighting changes in the interactions and dynamics of the ribosome assembly because of the binding.

AIoT Data Management, Analytics and Decision Making (Artificial Intelligence of Things Data Management, Analytics and Decision Making)

Nowadays, the fast development of hardware for IoT-based systems creates appropriate conditions for the development of services for different application areas. As we know, the large number of multifunctional devices, which are connected to the Internet is constantly increasing. Today, most of the IoT devices just only collect and transmit data. The huge amount of data produced by these devices requires efficient and fast approaches to its analysis. This task can be solved by combining Artificial Intelligence and IoT tools. Essentially, AI accelerators can be used as a universal sensor in IoT systems, that is, we can create Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). AIoT can be considered like a movement from data collection to knowledge aggregation. AIoT-based systems are being widely implemented in many high-tech industrial and infrastructure systems. Such systems are capable of providing not only the ability to collect but also analyse various aspects of data for identification, planning, diagnostics, evaluation, monitoring, optimization, etc., at the lower level in the entire system's hierarchy. That is, they are able to work more efficiently and effectively by generating the knowledge that is needed for real-time analytics and decision-making in some application areas.

Robot-assisted, source-camera-coupled multi-view broadband imagers for ubiquitous sensing platform

Multi-functional photo-imaging garners attention towards the development of universal safety-net sensor networks. Although there are urgent needs to comprehensively address the optical information from arbitrarily structured and located targets, investigations on multi-view sensitive broadband monitoring, being independent of the operating environment, are yet to be completed. This study presents a robot-assisted, photo-source and imager implanted, multi-view stereoscopic sensitive broadband photo-monitoring platform with reflective and transmissive switchable modes. A multifaceted photo-thermoelectric device design based on flexible carbon nanotube films facilitates the prototype demonstrations of non-destructive, target-structure-independent, free-form multi-view examinations on actual three-dimensional industrial components. Further functionalisation, namely, a portable system utilising three-dimensional printing and ultraviolet processing, achieves the unification of freely attachable photo-imagers and miniature photo-sources, enabling location-independent operation. Consequently, the non-destructive unmanned, remote, high-speed, omni-directional testing of a defective aerial miniature model winding road-bridge with a robot-assisted photo-source imager built into a multi-axis movable photo-thermoelectric monitor arm is demonstrated.

From nose to nuisance: A collaborative approach to assess the odour problem in an oilseed plant

Odour nuisance is an ignored environmental problem, an invisible face of air quality analysis and monitoring in Portugal. Local and governmental authorities have been receiving odour complaints, but only in recent years this issue is seen as a growing concern and not just a matter of licensing and inspection. This fact and the lack of specific ambient air odour regulation in Portugal originated a bottom up approach focused on citizens and their contribution to a more comprehensive analysis.Despite the existence of odour measuring instruments, the human nose is a universal sensor with higher sensitivity that allows to assess the impact of discomfort on sensitive receptors. From this point of view, a sensorial method has been conducted with community neighbours of an odour emission source as an integrative approach to the problem and a complementary vector to a quantitative analysis. The human nose used as a “tool”, allows to address the issue instantly and at a local level, which is not always possible with other methodologies, even in situations where the detection limit is reduced and therefore not measurable with certain equipment. It should be noted that this olfactory evaluations are the ones responsible for triggering formal complaints to the authorities whether it is the National Guard, the municipality or the environmental regulators. But the lack of a unified form to register the complaints is a mandatory issue to help addressing the correct odour sources and better understand the problem. So, this sensorial approach also aims to develop a tool to aggregate the needed elements to a valid form, to ensure that the complaints can be verified and validated. This would help to make a comparison and create a record history database, at the odour emitter level or at local and national scale.The results obtained with this approach have led to the application of several actions such as the real knowledge of the problem from an industrial operator perspective, inclusion of public stakeholders, and the design and implementation of an odour management plan with the purpose of the establishment of mitigation measures.

Universal firefighter sensor for dangerous road tunnel environment

This article deals with the issue of detecting and measuring the concentration of dangerous substances in the road tunnel during an accident, in order to minimize the risk to the firefighter during the intervention. The article also includes the design and construction of a mobile sensor system together with the processing of data and a suitable presentation of measured data. The gases are measured by specific detectors of the MQ gas sensors series. NTC type thermistors were used for temperature measuring. The control unit for the mentioned universal sensor is the development board D1 mini Pro, which has an integrated Wi-Fi chip. The universal sensor was designed especially for firefighters intervening during an accident in road tunnels. The measured data are processed and then sent via Wi-Fi network to an external database, from which they are then conveniently presented on the website. The website is then viewed on-line data from sensor for firefighters, whose are intervening during an accident in the tunnel.

Сдвоенные сферические датчики напряженности низкочастотных электрических полей нового поколения

These electric fields adversely affect the environment, technical and biological objects. In this regard, it is necessary to control the levels of electric fields, an important characteristic of which is the strength of the electric field. Sensors of the electric field strength are required to sense the electric field. The existing sensors are inconvenient in operation and have a high error in the perception of the electric field strength, reaching  20 %. In the work under consideration, the idea of creating a universal sensor of a new type, related to the type of dual sensors, is put forward. Its versatility lies in the fact that it embodies all types of known sensors — single, double, and now twin. The error in the perception of the intensity of the inhomogeneous electric field of the dual sensors does not exceed + 5 % in the entire spatial measurement range 0a1. In this case, the distance d to the field source is limited only by the radius of the spherical base of the sensor, i.e. d  R. At the same time, for sensors that are part of a dual sensor in the same spatial measurement range, the error is  35 %. Using a dual sensor, it is possible to achieve a significant increase in the accuracy of measuring the strength of inhomogeneous electric fields in a wide spatial measurement range in comparison with known sensors.

A novel biosensor based on Blu-ray disc coating film for determination of total amino acid content in tea leaves.

Biosensor substrate materials are a key research focus in the field of sensors. Blu-ray discs (BDs) as universal sensor substrates are advantageous in comparison with other substrates (conventional paper and polycarbonate) in terms of easier activity treatment and higher density of reactive groups on the film surface. In this study, a novel and simple microfluidic biosensor based on BD coating film was developed by treating with sodium hydroxide solution and a piece of filter paper at slightly elevated temperatures. There are no significant physical damages to the substrate morphology, and the aging effect is minimal. The unique wetting, optical, and self-cleaning properties of the modified surfaces can be demonstrated in the paper. We have tested this new type of biosensor substrates for assay applications (the determination of total amino acids in tea leaves), which showed excellent performance in terms of sensitivity and reproducibility. The novel biosensor substrate material based on a simple BD coating film displayed preferable merits with easy making, low cost, easy using, and extensive application prospect.

Spectral Noise of Sensors for Diagnostic Stica of a Railway Mobile Composition

Wide dynamic and frequency ranges, a low noise level allow the use of piezoelectric accelerometers as universal sensors for monitoring and diagnosing the vibrational state of nodes of a promising railway motor carriage. The electronic noise of the measuring channel of the vibration parameters depends not only on the noise of the directly sensitive element, the piezocrystal, or the MEMS accelerometer, but also on the further processing of the signal, primarily on the operation of the analog-to-digital converter. A comparative analysis of the electronic noise level of the vibration parameter measurement channel for piezoelectric and MEMS accelerometers is carried out taking into account the influence of the analog-to-digital converter. 12-bit, 16-bit and 24-bit ADCs in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio can be used to control the vibration parameters of the main and auxiliary nodes of the MVPS, bearing nodes of traction motors, wheel-motor block of electric trains. The best ADC for measuring vibroparameters can be considered a 16-bit ADC, but a 12-bit ADC can be used, since it also meets the requirements of the standard. The electronic noise level of a 12-bit ADC meets the requirements of “Russian Standard ISO 16063-1-2013”. The signal-to-noise ratio is within 70 dBFS, the electron noise density is within 100 µg.

Universal Sensor for Use in Dangerous Road Tunnel

This article deals with the problems of detection of dangerous substances in the road tunnel during an accident and proposes-design and construction of a mobile sensor system for online detection. Gases are measured by specific detectors of the MQ series. The D1 mini Pro development board with WiFi chip integration was chosen as the control unit. The universal sensor was designed especially for firefighters intervening during an accident in road tunnels. The measured data are sent and saved into the external database, from which they are then presented on the website. The website is then viewed on-line firefighters who intervene in the tunnel during an accident.