https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/Automobiles, computers, medical devices, a staggering array of consumer electronics—these are just a few of the places you'll find sensor technology. Join the Sensors group and stay current on all the latest developments in this key technology.en-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/venezuelan-residents-received-an-alert-when-the-earthquakes-struckWed, 15 Jul 2026 20:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:0f28d368-3b9d-4121-a2c1-c0259a54f2fcCatwellIn 2020, Southern California experienced a 4.5-magnitude earthquake. Android phones were notified when the quake hit. (Image Credit: Google ) Small earthquakes, which cause little to no damage, happen every day. Occasionally, stronger ones strike. This includes those in Venezuela, Japan, California, and the Philippines. For people living there, speed matters to keep them safe. Seconds before those quakes hit, Android users received an alert that an earthquake had begun and were instructed to drop, cover, and hold on. Countries like the United States and Japan have an Early Earthquake Warning (EEW) system. However, EEW doesn’t exist in Venezuelan. Instead, it used Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System . It works by turning Android smartphones into a distributed seismic sensor network. Android smartphones feature an accelerometer, which senses P-waves, the tiny vibrations that occur when an earthquake starts. This allows the system to detect an earthquake and send alerts before the more intense shaking begins. Instead of relying on a single phone to do all the work, the system uses millions. These phones are in the same area and transmit anonymous motion data to Google’s servers if unusual shaking is detected. Afterward, the software searches for groups of similar reports (crowdsourced data) from nearby devices. This pattern ensures that it doesn’t report other tiny vibrations caused by a car driving by or a phone dropping to the ground. If enough phones pick up the early earthquake vibrations and report them at the same time, the system determines that an earthquake is occurring. It also projects the location and magnitude of the quake. When it completes that estimate, Android users receive notifications if they are in the region where shaking is expected to occur. Since the alert delivery system is electronic, it travels faster than seismic waves. So, even a short delay won’t interfere with warning others. Those who are farther away from the epicenter may receive an alert for several seconds. People who are closer may get very few warnings or none at all. Alerts in this case are intended to be urgent. Stronger ones can bypass phone settings to instruct users to take shelter. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.androidalerthumanlifewarningenvironmental sensorearthsensorhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151519Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:05:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:87b5a7cb-0b07-4618-9508-6f29fdf9444eCatwellA research team led by Matthew Willsey, MD, PhD at University of Michigan completed the first in-human recording from a novel, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI). The device, called the Connexus Brain-Computer Interface by Paradromics Inc., w...https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/last-year-paradromics-and-the-university-of-michigan-implanted-a-bci-in-a-research-participantFri, 10 Jul 2026 07:04:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:2ffafed3-e8a1-4c58-a9c6-d2aea0797221CatwellThe Connexus BCI recorded neural activity as soon as they fire. (Image Credit: University of Michigan ) Elon Musk’s Neuralink has competition in the brain-computer interface (BCI) space. In collaboration with Paradromics, University of Michigan surgeons temporarily implanted the Connexus BCI in a research participant during a temporal lobectomy. The team also completed the first recording with this chip. They believe this technology could restore lost functionalities, like communication, for people with conditions affecting speech, such as motor neuron disease. Paradromics’ Connexus is a wireless system. It has a hermetically sealed enclosure designed to prevent moisture from getting in and damaging all the electronics. The company built the BCI for long-term durability to ensure users get the most out of it for as long as possible. They hope it can provide neural recordings for over ten years. During pre-clinical trials, the Connexus implant achieved over 200 bps, 20 times faster than current BCIs. The dime-sized implant is placed atop the brain surface and contains 421 platinum-iridium microwires embedded 1.5mm deep within the brain tissue. While there, the BCI records speech-related brain signals in the motor cortex. Extension leads route under the skin along the left side of the neck and connect to a transceiver beneath the left clavicle. Those leads send data to the transceiver that securely transmits the data to a user-worn external transceiver via a near-infrared optical link. That same external device provides power to the system via inductive charging. Information is then sent to a computer that runs AI language models and neural decoding algorithms. Machine learning analyzes neural patterns to figure out what the patient wants to say or do. Afterward, it turns the user intent into screen text, computer commands, or synthesized speech. “This research is incredibly significant to me because it is a goal in my lifetime to be able to see patients with untreatable neurological diseases and offer them BCIs that they can take home and use in their daily lives,” said Jordan Lam, MBBS, a neurosurgical resident at U-M Health who researches BCIs. Paradromics expects to continue monitoring the patient over the next five years. During yjr first year, the startup planned to collect data such as safety, words per minute, vocabulary size, and how many bits of data the implant transmits during a conversation. www.youtube.com/watch Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.researchhmion_campusbciuniversitytechnology_for_the_disabledsensorhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151511Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:42:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a5329391-0478-496b-ac3c-5539b2560fa8CatwellMIT Media Lab turns your smartphone's LiDAR into an around-the-corner camera What if your iPhone could see around corners? MIT Media Lab researcher Siddharth Somasundaram has demonstrated exactly that — using the same consumer-grade LiDAR sensor a...non-line-of-sightSiddharth SomasundaramSomasundarammit media labsythetic aperturespatial computingaround-the-corner cameralidarconsumer lidarmotion-induced aperturearound the corner camerasynthetic aperatureSiddarth SomasundaramNLOSMIT Medialabnon line of sightiphone lidarcomputer visionmotion induced aperturehttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/commercial-lidar-sensor-can-allow-you-to-see-around-cornersTue, 30 Jun 2026 18:41:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f2504ed5-3a2f-4549-a2b3-e8ce685e599bCatwellMIT researchers have turned a smartphone LiDAR sensor into a system that can see around corners. (Image Credit: Aaron Young/ MIT Media Lab ) One might think it’s impossible to see around corners without special equipment. But MIT researchers have changed that by using smartphone-based LiDAR sensors that cost under $100. Their technique, motion-induced aperture sampling, uses this hardware to reconstruct hidden 3D objects and track moving targets around corners. According to the team, this could be used for self-driving cars to detect other vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians. For robotics, it can help robots move around obstacles in their path. Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging requires extremely precise, high-cost LiDARs ($50,000+) with thorough configuration and calibration. Consumer-grade LiDAR sensors use low-power lasers, and that means the images they capture tend to be noisy. These are also low resolution and may produce unclear photos if the camera and target objects move. Rather than relying on a single image, the team combined data from multiple frames to reveal hidden objects. They drew inspiration from burst photo capture and radar imaging, which combine multiple inputs over time to produce better results. When the researchers developed algorithms to merge data across those measurements, the hidden signals started emerging. In their experiments, the researchers used a smartphone LiDAR system with approximately 100 pixels. Each one has a laser emitter combined with a single-photon detector. With this system, they mapped hidden objects in 3D and followed their movement when they were known shapes. It also determined the LiDAR sensor’s location by using those hidden objects as reference points. This technique worked without special calibration and is useful for robots in difficult-to-navigate areas. However, this system isn’t a camera that creates images of hidden scenes. So far, it only pulls out sparse shapes and hidden clues from extremely faint signals. It’s still not the same crisp, megapixel-quality people can see on their phones. The system works best when object shape and motion barely change between frames, as researchers can then combine many weak measurements into one clearer signal. This assumption may not always be true, however, as postures can change, objects may disappear from view, and the LiDAR sensor may move unexpectedly. Those conditions make data harder to understand. Next, the researchers want to make the system less reliant on current assumptions. Stronger physical models, signal processing, and machine learning may help it handle more complex motion and changing scenes. That may make around-the-corner sensing more reliable. They also note that a different hardware design could improve the system. Modern consumer LiDAR is for normal depth sensing. Optimizing future sensors could detect visible and hidden scenes. Doing so can improve sensitivity, resolution, scan patterns, or optics for better NLOS performance. www.youtube.com/watch Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.transportationwarehousemitsensorshmimanufacturinglidaron_campusmotionuniversitysensorhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/w/documents/27651/summer-of-sensorsMon, 29 Jun 2026 12:24:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:575672db-8d59-485f-8982-0d0984d99d68e14sbhargavExperimenting with Sensor Fusion In this competition, participants had an opportunity to experiment, test, or build a sensor fusion project with the AMD Xilinx SP701 Spartan-7 FPGA Kit. Wearable Biosensors Designing an IO-Link Sensor Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning Refrigeration (HVACR) Sensors Quiz Time of Flight Sensors Quiz Strain Gauges Quiz IO-Link Quiz Optical Sensors Quiz Industrial Waterproof USB Connectivity: IP67 Type A/TypeB Solutions from L-Com Do You Use Ultra-Low Power Sensors to Extend Battery Life? How Piezoresistive Absolute Pressure Sensors Are Used in Smart Industry 4.0 Making the Connections for Modern Day Agriculture Tracking Human Motion with Wearable Sensors Sensor Fusion with the Xilinx SP701 Experimenting with Gesture Sensors From smart vehicles to gaming controllers, there is a growing demand for touch-free controls. Participants used the MAX25405 kit to add gesture sensing into their designs. Summer of Sensors Challenge Participants received one of four different kits, tailored to a specific theme challenge. Webinar Recordings Industrial Pressure Sensors for Air and Liquid Monitoring Applications Transitioning to IIoT with Existing Equipment & New Sensing Capability The Sense of Things to Come - A Panel Discussion Low-power sensor solutions and interfaces from ADI Experimenting with Thermistors In this competition, participants incorporated thermistors from Molex into their original experiments and designs, documenting their progress and findings along the way. Maxim Integrated - Industrial Communications with IO-Link Distance Sensor MPS MA732 MagAlpha Angle Sensor Kit with Servo Motor Flusso Mass Flow Sensor Kit Xsens MTI-680 RTK GNSS/INS Dev Kit Wishlist & Giveaway: Sensors for Pi and Arduino Sponsored by: Avnet, Amphenol, Bridgetek, Flusso, MikroElektronika, Molex, MPS, Omega, AMS Osram, & XSensFlussosummer of sensorshttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/researchers-develop-a-light-based-chip-that-processes-informationThu, 25 Jun 2026 07:11:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:452d69bc-5104-430e-b48a-2400c9382deeCatwellArtist’s impression of a photonic valleytronic chip that processes information. (Image Credit: Chi Linn) Monash University researchers recently developed a tiny circuit that generates light signals, precisely routes them, and turns them into electrical signals. This happens within a chip and solves a major hurdle in valleytronics, which could enable faster, more energy-efficient computing and quantum technologies. Each light signal transmits data via the “valley degree of freedom”, a quantum property that could unlock new methods for data processing and computation. According to Dr. Chi Li, this development addresses a limitation that held the field back for years. “Until now, we could generate or detect these signals, but not do everything in one integrated device,” Dr Li said. “What we’ve built is a complete on-chip system that can create, route and read this information with very high precision.” Their device uses extremely thin materials that measure a few atoms thick. These work with custom-designed nanostructures that manipulate light’s behavior at tiny scales. “We employ a straightforward stacking approach to integrate ultra-thin materials with metasurfaces, overcoming the technical challenges of direct material growth on photonic structures, and enabling further advances in valleytronics,” Dr Kaijian Xing, co-first author and Research Fellow at Monash University said. The system also runs at room temperature. Quantum technologies typically need extreme cooling to operate. So, moving away from those requirements makes this system practical for real-world applications. The team says it may lead to the next generation of compact, programmable photonic devices and enable faster, more energy-efficient computers. “This is a significant step toward scalable, chip-based technologies that use light instead of electricity to process information,” Senior author Dr Haoran Ren, ARC Future Fellow and leader of Monash NanoMeta Group said. “Photonic devices use light to achieve massive bandwidths, ultra-fast data transmission speeds, and lower energy consumption, so what we have achieved has strong potential for applications in quantum computing, advanced imaging, and next-generation optical communication systems.” The researchers tested their device and proved that it can encode and process two different images at the same time. “This is an important step toward fully integrated valleytronic systems,” said Professor Stefan A. Maier, Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy and Nanophotonics Laboratory at Monash. “By combining light and quantum materials on a chip, we can access new ways of encoding and processing information.” Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.sensor lightvalleytronicon_campusMonash Universityuniversityhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/monitoring-mains-current-experimenting-with-the-sct013-current-clampWed, 17 Jun 2026 18:45:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c3192a7f-b6b4-4e3b-a51d-a668909b9e5bshabazTable of Contents Introduction What Is It? Sensitivity Testbed ‘Scope Traces Example ADC Circuit Summary Introduction The SCT013 (sometimes called SCT-013) is popular in a lot of home automation projects, for monitoring the current consumption of mains devices and circuits. There are several models of it, intended for different current ranges. Due to a lack of time I decided to experiment with an SCT013 in a not-very-thorough way. What Is It? The SCT013 is a clampable current transformer; there is a winding and two halves of a ferrite core inside, and the plastic shell clips onto a single mains wire (which then becomes a single-turn primary winding for the transformer). An AC current flows in the secondary winding, i.e. the coil of wire inside the clamp. The SCT013 has a specified frequency range of 50 Hz to 1 kHz. Note that as with all clamps, the SCT013 need to be used with a single mains conductor (for instance usually live, or perhaps neutral), and not the entire mains flex! There is a resistor across the coil (it’s known as a burden resistor, and is built-in on most SCT013 models but check the specs; never operate the transformer without it!) through which current flows. Screened cable (terminated with a 3.5 mm audio plug) is attached across the resistor, so that a voltage proportional to the current can be measured relatively safely, by just connecting a multimeter (set to AC voltage) across the two terminals, or attach those two terminals to an oscilloscope, or connect to an ADC circuit (either to differential inputs, or, easier, attach the shield to a mid-rail, and connect the tip to a single-ended ADC input) and sample at a few hundred Hz. Note that in electrically noisy environments, filtering or perhaps even ADC isolation may be needed, if you think noise may be picked up along the screened cable, i.e. usually common-mode noise. Also, note that despite there being isolation, care still needs to be taken due to the proximity with mains wiring. Sensitivity There are SCT013 models that are 5A 1V or 15A 1V rated, and there are other options too. Note that the 100A model can be supplied as a 2000-turn clamp without a built-in resistor. Here is how to interpret the sensitivity of each model in terms of millivolts per amp: Model Rated Input (A) Rated Output (V) Sensitivity (mV/A) -005 5 1 200 -010 10 1 100 -015 15 1 66.67 -020 20 1 50 -025 25 1 40 -030 30 1 33.3 -050 50 1 20 -060 60 1 16.67 -100 100 1 10 -100 100 50 mA (requires external resistor) User-selectable. R = 2000 * (S/1000) where S is in mV/A. Example: For 10mV/A, R=20 ohm) If there is no built-in resistor fitted, the formula R = Turns * (S/1000) can be used for any current transformer, where Turns is the Sec:Pri ratio, i.e. 2000 for the SCT013, and S is in mV/A. Testbed I used a mains breakout box to bring out the live connection, so I could place current clamps on the wire. The clamps were connected to an oscilloscope. I used an SCT013-005 model, i.e. 200mV/A sensitivity. For the load, I used a mains fan set to its top speed because it’s a warm day! ‘Scope Traces For this first test, I compared the SCT013 with a Pico Tech TA018 current probe. The TA018 was set to 100mV per amp. The TA018 trace in yellow is a fraction shaky, because it is a more complicated probe (the TA018 responds from 20 kHz down to DC, it responds to magnetic fields). Measured Output (mV RMS) Calculated Current (mA RMS) SCT013 (Red trace) 62.33 311 TA018 (Yellow trace) 29.63 296 I compared the SCT013 with a Yokogawa current clamp which is AC-responding only. The Yokogawa clamp outputs 10mV per amp, and has a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Measured Output (mV RMS) Calculated Current (mA RMS) SCT013 (Red trace) 62.42 312 Yokogawa (Yellow trace) 2.966 296 As can be seen, the TA018 and the Yokogawa clamp measurements agree with each other, and the SCT013 measured around 5% higher. Despite the very basic ‘scope shots for now, I think that’s fairly conclusive, the SCT013 will provide a usable measurement, but don’t expect the accuracy of a decent known-brand clamp. It could be interesting to measure the frequency response (for example, by using a power amplifier and looping the cable through the clamp several times), but again, time is limited, and I didn’t have a need, considering that the SCT013 will only ever be used for a ballpark figure, not for accuracy, where I’d use a known-brand clamp. Example ADC Circuit I tried the following circuit (using an ADC in-built to a microcontroller): There's no protection in case there is a fault and the internal burden resistor is disconnected. In my limited tests, I'm getting good measurements with this, although I need to improve my software. Summary The SCT013 range are affordable current clamps for basic current monitoring needs. The clamps were compared with known-brand ones, using a fan as a load, and the output was monitored with an oscilloscope. The conclusion was that the SCT013 is fine for non-critical measurements. I only tested one SCT013; I don't know if the results are typical for all SCT013 clamps. Note that care must be taken when using current clamps, since they are usually in close proximity to potentially dangerous environments. Thanks for reading.ta018current transformerYokogawaSCT013mainsSCT-013Pico Techcurrent sensorhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236082Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:16:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:47e75b59-7d71-4d28-b3ac-8b8a8ff708d4DABI agree, flat cable would be the way to go.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236078Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:55:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:999bf032-f1e9-40ce-9459-858055a3b238obonesIndeed, but in my case, it only goes to the fridge compartment, not the frozen food one. That one does not have auto defrost.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236076Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:37:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:fa5d530f-140d-45f8-8876-c9370e661ab3Gough LuiIf you want very thin wires, perhaps try a thermocouple bead to an external reader circuit or meter? You might need some special covering to make it truly air-tight (otherwise you will have frosting issues). - Goughhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236074Thu, 11 Jun 2026 02:19:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:3468440f-d9ba-4950-a90f-cb60b9b83075dougwNFC could work, although I haven't tried this specific application. I did however do a battery-less temperature sensor using RFID frequency to transfer power - see Klingmagon .https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236071Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:15:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a9f5de5c-e012-47f3-8679-2cc475a5d810beacon_dave[quote userid="121623" url="~/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236066"]Note that this is a working fridge with a slight auto defrost issue.[/quote] Quite often the auto defrost fridges have a drain hole. I think it leads to a drip tray under the unit rather than just dripping onto the floor. Perhaps there is already an existing route through this drain ?https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236070Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:15:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:e5e879a9-0632-4917-b9e8-909fba21aec2BigGThere is a new(ish) RFID tech that's on the market, which technically could work. It's called RAIN. https://therainalliance.org/what-is-rain/ However, it may be too expensive for the hobbyist market. I am not sure myself.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/236066Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:49:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:198519e6-c83e-46bb-bb91-a6842bb04b77michaelkellettI can suggest two alternatives - both of which I use. 1) Use thermocouples with thin wires - OK with most seals. 2) Use pretty much any kind of sensor and drill a hole though the side of the fridge. These suggestions are not made lightly - I have evidence: Drilled hole in the side of fridge - sealed around two thermistor wires with bubble wrap. Note that this is a working fridge with a slight auto defrost issue. The sensors - one is for the fridge in general and one for the load - no load at the moment so they are both just resting on the floor. The fridge controller - the display is telling me that the F(ridge) temperature is 6.5 and the L(oad) temperature is 6.0. (Warm because I just had the door open for a minute or two to take pictures. The controller display cycles and also shows the ambient and compressor temperatures and if the compressor is on or off. I modified the fridge and made the controller for a job about 10 years ago but now I just use the fridge to keep my cheese and butter cool and my mint sauce frozen. Drilling fridge walls is easy - usually very thin layer of metal or plastic sheet on each side of insulating foam. MKhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensorWed, 10 Jun 2026 09:13:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a0c9cbf8-8472-45cc-9ccd-decbafcf2ae8obonesI have a fridge with two compartments, one for "fridge" temperature elements, and one for frozen foods. As it's showing its age, I want to monitor the temperature in both parts to be sure everything is still edible. For the fridge part, placing a zigbee sensor powered by a 2xAA or CR2032 battery is actually working fine, the battery is not too weakened by the 2°C temperature and the metallic body plates are not attenuating the signal too much. For the frozen foods parts, it's a bit more complex as temperatures go as low as -25°C. On top of that, because the thermostat is is in the fridge part, it happened in the past that the compressor never turned on because the temperature in the garage where it is located reached 4°C, effectively within the thermostat set temperature. As a result, I wanted to both have a quick way to check the current temperature, while having a history of said temperatures and to get this, I installed a zigbee sensor with a wired temperature probe like this: This works fine but the probe cable is quite thick (3mm) leading to air leakage at the location where the cable is getting through the door seal. Using a small scalpel, I was able to strip the outer insulation to get access to the three inner cables which are way thinner, hoping this would restore the seal effectiveness. Sadly, while this is better, this is still not enough, ice is building up inside, starting along the three cables as can be seen here: I had removed most of it two days before taking this picture and it's already back. So now, I'm trying to figure out an alternative for this and NFC/RFID came to mind as this would allow to get a sensor without batteries getting frozen inside the compartment, thus not requiring any wire to get into it and thus no longer interfering with the seal function. With the appropriate search terms, I stumbled across this reference design from TI: https://www.ti.com/tool/TIDM-RF430-TEMPSENSE But this gets me even more questions: What cost for creating this board? What tool to program the MCU? and what cost for this tool? What to use to read back the temperature? I have RPI Pico W or ESP32 at hand for the wifi communication. Would reading work through the metal sides of the fridge? Would this work if the sensor is at 90° with respect to the reader? For the last question, this stems from the fact that if question 4 answer is "no", then the RF waves would need to work through the 1/2 cm gap left by the compressed seal when the door is closed, as seen here: From what I grasped reading various articles, the longer the distance between the RFID tag and the reader, the larger the reader's antenna would need to be. I even saw 60cm diameter antennas, which, well, won't fit here at all. Do you think this RFID/NFC tag idea is worth exploring? Or would you suggest an alternative like cold resistant batteries if that exists? Thanks for your insights.temperature sensorhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/can-leds-influence-human-visual-performanceFri, 05 Jun 2026 16:06:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d1ba86f3-46e2-4442-ab44-47dbdfcd3cdbCatwell(Image Credit: BrianPenny/ pixabay ) University College London (UCL) researchers looked into whether LED lights limited spectral range negatively affects vision . They compared LED office lighting with broader-spectrum incandescent lighting, with infrared wavelengths missing from most LEDs. They also discovered that participants experienced an improvement in mitochondrial ATP production in retinal cells when exposed to longer-wavelength red and near-infrared light. LEDs emit light between 350nm and 650nm, lacking infrared output. Daylight has an even broader spectrum that goes beyond 1500nm. The team says this missing long-wavelength component could impact mitochondrial activity in retinal cells. They suggest the spectral gap could lead to significant implications for office design, occupational health, and lighting engineering practices. Researchers previously stated that near-infrared and long-wavelength light could boost mitochondrial ATP production via interactions with cytochrome c oxidase. This had the potential to support retinal metabolism and help with vision. Meanwhile, the team argues that “when shorter wavelength exposure is dominant, as in LED lighting, mitochondrial function declines.” They also say that mitochondrial complex proteins are reduced and there is reduced ATP production.” To test their theory, the team brought in 22 office workers. While eleven participants worked under standard LED office lighting, the others used incandescent lamps under similar conditions. The incandescent lights generated a wider range, which includes infrared wavelengths that standard LEDs don’t emit. Each participant used the lamps for eight hours per day, spanning two weeks. After two weeks of incandescent light exposure, protan and tritan contrast thresholds decreased from baseline. This indicates improved contrast sensitivity that persisted for weeks. (Image Credit: Scientific reports ) The team assessed visual performance via color contrast sensitivity (CCS) testing before exposure. Two weeks and four weeks after the experiment ended, they used CCS again. Specifically, they measure protan and tritan contrast sensitivity that correspond to red-green and blue-yellow visual discrimination pathways. This measuring method determines how well a participant can detect fine color distinctions to reliably evaluate the retina’s functionality. Participants with the broader spectrum incandescent lighting showed a 25% average increase of protan and tritan in CCS. And those with the LED experienced no significant changes. Improvements remained for at least four weeks after exposure to the incandescent lighting. However, the results are not definitive. The study had a small sample size and used a narrow set of visual performance metrics rather than ophthalmological testing. Additionally, it focused on CCS without addressing visual acuity and long-term eye health. Further studies will likely be needed before these results drive changes to lighting standards or architectural engineering practices. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.hmilightinghumanstudyledjobhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/researchers-develop-tiny-memory-that-improves-as-it-shrinksTue, 12 May 2026 19:40:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:0c3e3a96-695e-4b45-95c0-d18cf4573b82CatwellRendering of the 25-nanometer wide FTJ developed by Science Tokyo. (Image Credit: Yutaka Majima of the Royal Society of Chemistry) Engineers at Science Tokyo developed a 25-nanometer-wide ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) memory that improves performance while scaling downward. Despite its tiny size, it still outperforms larger types, challenging the assumption that miniaturization weakens resistance contrast in extremely thin memory components. This is a significant breakthrough as electronics demand smaller, denser, and more efficient memory. The team believes the technology could be used for low-power applications and could fit standard CMOS manufacturing. The 25nm memory has a titanium/titanium oxide (Ti/TiOx) top electrode, a 3 nm yttrium-doped hafnium oxide ferroelectric tunnel barrier, and a platinum bottom electrode integrated into a nanocrossbar structure. It works by reversing polarization within the ultrathin ferroelectric barrier to alter the electrostatic potential across the junction. This process changes how easily electrons quantum tunnel from one electrode to the other. Due to the ultra-thin barrier, the electron wavefunction passes through it rather than undergoing thermally activated transport. And slight polarization-induced changes in barrier height or width modify the tunneling probability. As a result, the device creates two resistance states (ON/OFF) representing digital data storage. Temperature-dependent switching and resistance hysteresis behavior in 3 nm-thick nanocrossbar FTJs. (Image Credit: Nanoscale ) During electrical testing, the smallest FTJ with a 26 x 24 nm 2 junction area achieved a tunneling electroresistance (TER) ratio surpassing 2.2 x 10 3 . This is higher than the 71 TER achieved by the 30 nm FTJs. The team also performed temperature-dependent transport measurements at 9 K and 300 K, demonstrating nearly temperature-independent conduction behavior in the resistance states. Current transport was therefore dominated by quantum tunneling instead of thermally activated leakage. In addition, the researchers observed asymmetric current scaling while the active junction area shrank from 42,000 nm 2 to 255 nm 2 . In this case, the OFF-state current decreased (scaling slope of 1.1) more rapidly compared to ON-state current (slope of 0.30). That indicates nanoscaling minimized conductive leakage pathways and grain-boundary effects. Doing so improved resistance contrast instead of worsening at smaller dimensions. Science Tokyo researchers believe this technology could be practical for future low-power nonvolatile memory. They also say the Ti/TiOx/Y-doped HfO2/Pt structure supports CMOS-oriented hafnium oxide processing, simplifying integration into semiconductor manufacturing processes. Plus, the fast resistance switching and extremely thin ferroelectric barrier make scaled FTJs a good choice for in-memory computing, neuromorphic computer architectures, and edge devices requiring lower power consumption and a reduced footprint. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.researchnanoon_campusmemoryuniversitysensorinnovation