It’s always interesting to see how scientists and engineers have exploited—in the positive sense of the word—somewhat obscure, fundamental physics principles to create innovative sensors. For example, ...

Patients who remain in bed for long periods of time may develop pressure sores, which can in turn become potentially life-threatening chronic skin ulcers. A new sensor could help keep that from ...

Researchers have developed a new optical sensor that provides a simple way to achieve real-time detection of extremely low levels of arsenic in water. Researchers have developed a new optical sensor ...

A new fiber-optic sensor made from stretchy rubber rather than glass can be integrated into wearable electronics and measure movement. The sensors can also quantify the force of stretching, bending, ...

Researchers have developed a tiny fiber optic force sensor that can measure extremely slight forces exerted by small objects. The new light-based sensor overcomes the limitations of force sensors ...

The prospect of exploiting spider silk's combination of optical and mechanical properties has been an attractive proposition to designers for some time. Back in 2008 a project at Tufts University ...

Researchers at VTT, Finland, have been able to transmit light through an optical fiber based on a wood derivative. The fiber, which is made of cellulose, is best suited for sensors that could benefit ...

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a novel sensor made of incredibly thin strands of sapphire that can withstand extreme heat and radiation. The breakthrough is billed as a solution to a ...

DARPA has succeeded in creating hollow-core photonic-bandgap optical fiber, which allows light to travel along its length at around 99.7% the speed of light, or a 30% improvement over conventional ...

Aging degradation and seismic damage of civil infrastructure pose a serious problem for society. One promising technology for monitoring the condition of structures is optical fiber sensing. By ...