Sensors and Gadgets

Welcome, friends. Today we want to offer you a translation of a curious article in which the topic of embedded sensors and all kinds of wearable gadgets is raised. Moreover, curiosity lies in the opposition of these two vectors of the development of biomonitoring technologies. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, we recommend reading the article itself!

There is not too much space on our body for wearable gadgets, unless you plan to revive the 80s fashion . But what if the various items with which we contact daily, hold them in our hands or just turn out to be close, will contain different sensors that will monitor our condition and behavior? A sort of "unwieldy" gadgets, because electronics will be unnoticeable for us to be present in a variety of surrounding objects.

This is the emerging development of sensor network technology. The intangible world will soon be able to “understand” us, and wearable sensors will try to constantly measure our behavior and body condition in an attempt to figure out what is happening around us. An example is the development of the company PLUX , which produces a cheap modular set of biosensors BITalino . PLUX is experimenting with embedding sensors in car seats to determine the status of the driver and passengers without using wearable devices. This project is called Harken (from the English. Heart and Resistance in-Car Embedded Nonintrusive sensors , Non-intrusive car heart rate and breathing sensors). Its purpose is to prevent accidents due to overwork of drivers. This is achieved by determining the physical condition of a person based on information obtained from sensors: when a person becomes drowsy or falls asleep at all, his heart rate and respiration change. In addition to the corresponding sensors, motion sensors with a signal processing unit are built into the chairs, which makes it possible to isolate a person's motor activity against the background of shaking and vibrations characteristic of a moving car.
')
At the moment, a prototype of a driver fatigue determination system is being prepared for testing, so it will take several more years before such a tool will be introduced into the automotive industry. There are a large number of regulatory rules, so the adoption of any innovations takes from 3 to 5 years.



The sensors in the seat and the seat belt are connected to a signal processing unit, which, if necessary, warns the driver with vibration and sound that he needs to cheer up. In addition, a warning is transmitted to the screen of the on-board computer of the car. The developers also plan to “teach” the system not only to ring the bells, but also to take measures themselves if the driver falls asleep at the wheel. Cars are becoming “smarter” and soon it will be possible to use the system of automatic avoidance of collisions, keeping lanes, etc.

So far this is a matter of the future, but the demand for the approach itself in the form of measurements with the help of unwieldy built-in sensors is growing every year. It is in many cases much more convenient and allows you to take measurements more accurately than when a person is hung with various electronics. Despite the surge of interest in various gadgets with built-in sensors, primarily to fitness trackers, the accuracy of their measurements is low. The fact that manufacturers of such devices emphasize wearing is likely to indicate that the technology itself is at an early stage of development. As the Internet of things version 1.0.

The introduction of sensors into surrounding objects, with which we interact in specific situations or at a certain time, allows the use of much more targeted and accurate use scenarios. So, more effective. Sensors can be embedded in anything: the steering wheel of a car, a computer keyboard, a set-top box joystick. Another example of unwieldy technology is the incorporation of sensors into the handlebars of a bicycle.



British startup Teddy the Guardian builds heart rate, oxygenation and temperature sensors into toys in the form of teddy bears. Thanks to this toy, children feel more comfortable in the hospital, and the medical staff immediately receives a signal in case of deterioration of the psychological and physical condition of the little patient.



A noticeable number of adults in ordinary life are also not averse to monitoring their condition, both in consciousness and in sleep. They want to see the results of measurements of their pulse and breathing, for many of them this is a subconscious confirmation that they are alive. It is likely that this is the most active part of wearable fitness tracker buyers. And in the future - things with built-in multi-functional wireless sensors.



Most likely, an increased interest in this area will arise when people evaluate how non-portable sensors can help in solving some specific tasks: danger warnings; collecting medical records from patients; ejecting toasters before they burn; Early diagnosis of dental problems with a toothbrush can continue indefinitely. Even blocking the keyboard while trying to log on ebay drunk - someone has to take care of your money!

If you do not have a sick child, then you will not have to run into Teddy the Guardian toy. And this is a very important point - the essence of the use of such sensory technologies lies precisely in the point, highly specialized, targeted application. Only when necessary, unlike wearable gadgets. The data itself does not cost anything, it only matters how you collect and use it. Therefore, I would like to hope that the current wind in the form of wearable devices, counting your steps and sighs, will soon be replaced by smarter, “targeted” systems of built-in sensors that are invisible to the user, but are capable of solving these or other problems much better. After all, a specialized tool to work is always better and more convenient than the most advanced multitool.

Of course, the information collected by both the built-in sensor arrays and the fitness trackers need to be processed and viewed by the collected data. And in both cases, the most obvious and simple solution is a smart phone. Thus, the idea of ​​distributed sensors turns a smartphone into a center of a mobile mini-universe. Like some kind of star, around which various celestial bodies revolve, getting into the field of its attraction and leaving it. Imagine that we will be surrounded by ordinary things containing imperceptible for us sensors. With the help of a smartphone, one could find out what hidden measurement capabilities these or other objects possess, use them at their own discretion and save the results. That is, the smartphone becomes a kind of key that opens for us the “hidden” level of the material world around. And not just a means of obtaining data, but, if desired, a full participant in this system. For example, distributed sensors could not only completely take over the measurement function, but also complement and clarify data recorded by the smartphone itself. For example, shoes with sensors would help to more accurately measure the wearer's walking speed in conditions of unstable reception of GPS signals and base stations.

What do you think about this? Would you like to have things that are completely mundane, familiar, "offline" items with built-in sensors to collect various information about your physical and psychological condition? What exactly would you like to know, measure with their help?