Sensor Review

Victor V. Klemas

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294298

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to acquaint a wide audience of readers with some of the unique remote sensing and navigation capabilities of animals. Design/methodology/approach – Biomimetic comparison of remote sensors evolved by animals and sensors designed by man. The study and comparison includes thermal infrared sensors used by snakes, echolocation used by bats and dolphins, and navigation methods used by birds. Countermeasures used by prey to avoid capture are also considered. Findings – Some animals have remote sensing and navigation capabilities that are considerably more efficient than those provided by the human body or designed by man. Practical implications – Sensor designers may be encouraged to use the biometic approach in the design of new sensors. Social implications – The paper provides a better understanding of animal behaviour, especially their unique abilities to remotely sense, echolocate and navigate with high accuracy over considerable distances. Originality/value – The paper presents a comparison of remote sensors used by animals with those developed by humans. Remote sensor designers can learn to improve their sensor designs by studying animal sensors within a biomimetic framework.

Robert Bogue

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294306

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe recent research into biomimetic imaging and vision systems. Design/methodology/approach – Following an introduction, this paper discusses a range of biomimetic imaging and vision system research activities and their potential applications. Brief conclusions are drawn. Findings – This shows that biomimetic design concepts, many based on insect vision, are being applied widely to prototype imaging systems. These exhibit features such as wide fields of view, hyperacuity and infra‐red detection and offer prospects to enhance the capabilities of such systems in a wide range of applications. Originality/value – This paper provides details of recent biomimetic imaging research, which has potential in a range of robotic and other applications.

Robert Bogue

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294315

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe recent research involving the application of biomimetic design concepts to nanosensor developments. Design/methodology/approach – Following a short introduction to nanobiomimetic concepts, this paper discusses a range of recent nanosensor developments whose designs mimic or use naturally‐occurring nanostructures or nanomaterials. Findings – This shows that biomimetic design concepts are being applied to a range of nanosensors which have been shown to respond to a range of physical and chemical variables, often with very high sensitivities. Potential applications include homeland security and military uses, healthcare and robotics. Originality/value – This paper provides details of recent nanobiomimetic sensor research which has potential in a range of critical applications.

Chen Guodong; Zeyang Xia; Rongchuan Sun; Zhenhua Wang; Lining Sun

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294324

Purpose – Detecting objects in images and videos is a difficult task that has challenged the field of computer vision. Most of the algorithms for object detection are sensitive to background clutter and occlusion, and cannot localize the edge of the object. An object's shape is typically the most discriminative cue for its recognition by humans. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a model‐based object detection method which uses only shape‐fragment features. Design/methodology/approach – The object shape model is learned from a small set of training images and all object models are composed of shape fragments. The model of the object is in multi‐scales. Findings – The major contributions of this paper are the application of learned shape fragments‐based model for object detection in complex environment and a novel two‐stage object detection framework. Originality/value – The results presented in this paper are competitive with other state‐of‐the‐art object detection methods.

Eunil Park; Angel P. del Pobil

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294333

Purpose – Despite the increasing popularity and interest in remote pointing devices such as Wii remote controllers, there have been few studies that find and evaluate the users' psychological aspects of technology acceptance. This study uses the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework with the two external variables of perceived mobility and control. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted an experiment with 409 participants to test the research model and employed structural equation modelling as the analysis method. Findings – The results show that perceived mobility and control were significant determinants of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Moreover, perceived usefulness is significantly influenced by perceived ease of use and, further, perceived usefulness and ease of use played a significant role in affecting the attitude towards the technology. Finally, the results also reveal that attitude and perceived usefulness positively influence the intention to use the remote pointing device. Originality/value – This paper is of value to researchers, engineers and designers designing and developing remote pointing technologies and their devices for use in our society.

Zhelong Wang; Sen Qiu; Zhongkai Cao; Ming Jiang

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294342

Purpose – Due to the complex mechanism during walking, human gait takes plenty of information reflecting human motion. The method of quantitative measurement of gait makes a profound influence in many fields, such as clinical medicine, biped robot control strategy and so on. The purpose of this paper is to present a gait analysis system based on inertial measurement unit (IMU) and combined with body sensor network (BSN). Design/methodology/approach – The authors placed two wireless inertial nodes on the left and right ankles, so that the acceleration and angular velocity could be obtained from both sides at the same time. By using the kinematical model of the human gait, many methods such as time series analysis, pattern recognition and numerical analysis, are introduced to fuse the inertial data and estimate the sagittal gait parameters. Findings – The gait parameters evaluation gains a practical precision, especially in the gait phase detection and the process of how the two feet cooperate with each other has been analyzed to learn about the mechanism of biped walking. Research limitations/implications – The gait analysis procedure is off line, so that the system ensures sampling at a high rate. Originality/value – This gait analysis system can be utilized to measure quantitative gait parameters. Further, the coordination of dual gait pattern is presented. Last but not least, the system can also be put into capturing and analyzing the motion of other parts of the body.

Mohd Anwar Zawawi; Sinead O'Keffe; Elfed Lewis

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294351

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative review of intensity‐modulated fiber optic sensors with non‐optical sensors for health monitoring applications, from the current research activities in the area. Design/methodology/approach – A range of published research work in sensor design for four different health monitoring applications, including, lumbar spine bending, upper and lower limb motion tracking, respiration and heart rate monitoring, are presented and discussed in terms of their respective advantages and limitations. Findings – This paper provides information on the various types of sensors applied into the health monitoring area. The sensing techniques of the fiber optic sensor for the stated applications are focused and compared in details to highlight their contributions. Originality/value – A comparative review of published work is illustrated in an informative table content, to allow a clear idea of the current sensing approaches for health monitoring applications.

Jiang Qi

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294360

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the sensing characteristics of uniform fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) by presenting a detailed research review. Temperature, axial strain, bending, vibration and refractive index measurands of FBG and TFBG sensor are presented and some significant differences are found. Design/methodology/approach – Theoretical analysis and practical application in engineering are investigated and compared from other authors' research papers and self analysis. Spectra behavior of both FBG and TFBG are discussed. Findings – There are found to be significant differences in temperature, axial strain, bending, vibration and refractive index sensing characteristics of FBG and TFBG. Originality/value – The paper's analysis is comprehensive and clear and provides readers with the sensing characteristics of FBG and TFBG in detail.

Slobodan J. Petricevic; Pedja M. Mihailovic; Jovan B. Radunovic

2013 Sensor Review

doi: 10.1108/02602281311294379

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss results of laboratory tests performed on a point type Faraday magnetic field scanner device designed for monitoring applications. Design/methodology/approach – Automated laboratory setup using a reference magnetic induction source was used to test key parameters such as spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio. Findings – Volume scans of magnitude of the magnetic field induction vector prove applicability of the sensor and demonstrate its advantages. Practical implications – Sensor is applicable for safe and accurate scanning of the magnetic induction spatial distribution. Originality/value – The paper presents a novel test setup.