Sand Grain-Sized Wireless Sensor Perfect for Environmental Monitoring

Sand grain-sized wireless sensor perfect for environmental monitoring has been developed by a team of Dutch researchers with the Eindhoven University of Technology.

The sand grain sized sensor is hailed to be the future of monitoring the ambient in buildings as the Internet of Things is rapidly expanding. According to the research team, the sensor can be successfully plastered in walls from where it can perform tasks such as monitoring humidity, temperature, movement or light.

The Internet of Things is rapidly expanding. With it, the number of appliances, gadgets and devices that will ensure an interconnected, wireless, technologized future is also growing. Yet, security still poses a trouble. So is one thing we’re barely starting to get rid of now: a tangle of wires and cables plaguing every room, regardless of how well they’re hidden.

The sand grain-sized wireless sensor perfect for environmental monitoring addressed at least one of these problems. In addition, the wireless sensor charges itself with electromagnetic waves. So, as it connects to the Internet wirelessly, it also charges, allowing for an indefinitely charged sensor.

The sand-grain sized sensor is approximately 0.08 inches in size. While these dimensions render it a useful tool, there is a catch. Currently, the wireless sensor can only charge and function properly if it is placed within one centimeter of the wireless router. The research team plans of course to expand this distance so that the wireless sensor can be used successfully even if it is placed 16 feet away from the wireless router. The timeframe for the development to be accomplished is one year.

Afterwards we might see the grain-sized wireless sensor applied in buildings everywhere. A network of these tiny sensors could efficiently provide environmental monitoring everywhere at really low costs. According to Professor Peter Baltus, one of the researchers on the project, the tiny sensor works perfectly even under a layer of concrete, plaster or paint.

In the near future, an army of sand grain-sized wireless sensor could monitor the humidity, light and temperature of buildings while being embedded in the walls. Environmental control would be just one click away.

Photo Credits: Pixabay