New Atlas

Environment Audio available

Nano-sensor in a streetlamp shines light on urban air pollution

Paul Ridden June 13, 2019

Given that the WHO estimates that seven million premature deaths annually around the world are caused by air pollution, monitoring air quality is vital. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an optical nano-sensor that can be mounted to most streetlamps.

The new optical nano-sensor can accurately detect low concentrations of nitrogen dioxide

Materials Audio available

Spider hair-inspired sensors could give drones a "spidey-sense"

Michael Irving May 20, 2019

Spider-Man's "spidey-sense" isn't purely fiction – spiders have tiny, sensitive hairs on their legs that help them avoid predators or hunt prey. And now, engineers at Purdue University have developed similar sensors for autonomous cars or drones.

Automotive

128-laser LiDAR sensor significantly sharpens autonomous cars' vision

Mike Murphy December 3, 2017

In what promises to be a big step forward in 3D vision systems for autonomous vehicles, Velodyne has announced a new 128-channel LiDAR sensor that boasts the longest range and highest-resolution on the market.

An optical image of the resolution by the Velodyne LiDAR VLS-128 in operation

Good Thinking

Portable sensor will alert you if you stink

Lisa-Ann Lee February 10, 2017

It could only have come from Japan. From the country that gave the world smart toilets comes a device that saves users from being socially ostracized by telling them whether or not they smell.

There are sensors for nearly everything else these days, so why not one that sniffs out ...

Digital Cameras

48-megapixel CMOS sensor boasts global shutter and 8K video

Simon Crisp November 9, 2016

The firm behind the sensor of the Leica M has developed a 48-megapixel CMOS offering with a global shutter. In addition to being suited to shooting fast-moving objects without distortion, the CMV50000 from CMOSIS, can also support 8K video resolutions at 30 fps.

CMOSIS says the new CMV50000 sensor is suitable for use in TV broadcasting and video cameras

Health & Wellbeing

Temporary tattoo tracks blood alcohol levels

Nick Lavars August 2, 2016

New ways of tracking the contents of our sweat has opened up some exciting possibilities in health monitoring, and alcohol sensors are a part of this mix. But a new flexible, tattoo-like sensor developed by US researchers might be the most discreet one we've seen yet.

The team imagines that the device could be be useful for doctors and police officers

Aircraft

New sensor measures aircraft velocity by bouncing lasers off air molecules

Chris Wood July 15, 2016

British defense and aerospace company BAE Systems is looking to revolutionize how we measure airspeed, replacing conventional, air-pressure-based systems with tech that bounces around ultraviolet lasers to get the job done.

Known as the Laser Air Speed Sensing Instrument (LASSI), the new system was developed by scientists ...

Health & Wellbeing

Sensor detects whether meals are really gluten-free

Chris Wood July 8, 2016

For those that suffer from conditions such as celiac disease, even small traces of gluten can cause big health problems. A new device is aiming to make life a little easier, providing a quick and easy method for testing that meals really are 100 percent gluten free in just a few minutes.

Developed by an MIT spinout company, the Nima sensor can pick out tiny amounts of gluten ...

Electronics

Hyper-sensitive electronic nose sniffs out nerve gas like no other

Nick Lavars July 5, 2016

A team of Belgian scientists has developed what is billed as the most sensitive "electronic nose" yet. The chemical sensor detects pesticides and nerve gases and has a design that could see it integrated with electronics such as your smartphone.

KU Leuven researchers have developed an electronic nose to detect pesticides and nerve gas

Materials

Low-cost "Paper Skin" boasts same sensory functions as the real thing

Nick Lavars February 21, 2016

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have used low-cost everyday items that you probably have laying around your house to develop a paper-based sensor that reacts to the same stimuli as human skin, such as pressure, touch and temperature.

Its creators envisage numerous medical applications for the Paper Skin sensor developed at KAUST