Hassan Sherbaz, IoT Solutions Architect at Connexin, stated, “There are a lot of devices on the market today, most of which existed before the term IoT even existed. The fact that anything and everything can be measured (from air quality to diesel particulate pollution to pedestrian traffic in city centers) is due to the significant advancements in physical measurement principles. The benefit of IoT is the decrease in chip prices, making it even cheaper to measure these variables. Coupled with advancements in low-power communication networks and battery technology, deploying sensors has become a more cost-effective business case.”
The following section will introduce the different types of IoT sensors available on the market today, and their significance for businesses.
Single sensor vs. system sensor
IoT sensors have proven useful for both personal and enterprise networks, delivering data quickly, clearly, and accurately in a variety of situations.
Hugues Meyrath, Chief Product Officer at Service Channel, explained, “Various forms of sensors play a crucial role in achieving peak asset performance for all IoT applications. They provide us with direct observation of everything that is happening in space.”
Meyrath believes the Internet of Things (IoT) needs to be considered from two parts:
(1) Single sensor: These sensors provide specific information through single-purpose sensors, such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, air quality, pressure, vibration, and people in the room.
(2) System Sensors: This includes HVAC units, energy monitoring, lighting systems, and ovens in the home. In this case, the alarms generated by the system can consider not only one or more sensors but also their health status, which is a combination of multiple factors. This is where it becomes more interesting.
The main difference is that a single sensor might report a specific situation like "temperature is too high." However, a system sensor might suggest a solution or a replacement component.
Spectrum network growth
Recently, network operators have been seeking to improve their spectrum network coverage, which has eased the pressure on solution providers and allowed them to spend more time delivering more personalized sensor technologies based on customer needs.
Sherbaz commented, "Network operators are expanding their coverage of IoT networks in both unlicensed spectrum (LoRaWAN/Sigfox) and licensed spectrum (NB-IoT/LTE-M). This means solution providers can focus on acquiring the right sensors and building the right applications for end customers without worrying about network management."
For example, Connexin offers this infrastructure as a LoRaWAN-as-a-service. Using this technology, solution providers can leverage the network to focus on delivering results via the Internet of Things (IoT). This is disrupting a range of vertical industries, including healthcare, utilities, and the public sector.
Sherbaz, the company's Director of IoT Solutions, continued, "Connexin is an IoT solutions provider that uses its own network to deliver sensors, connectivity, platforms, and results. For example, by applying LoRaWAN in Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK, smart water meters were deployed in 1,000 homes, saving 90,000 liters of water per day."
Size and Application
IoT sensors are now available in a variety of sizes to improve portability and ease of use. This, in turn, plays a key role in building new use cases that have already entered various industries.
Deepak Parameswaran, Chief Commercial Officer of Industry NxT, stated that sensors have evolved from electromechanical devices to microelectromechanical devices (MEMS), then to nanoelectromechanical devices (NEMS), and now to bio-MEMS, which can now sense changes at the molecular level.
The technological capabilities of IoT sensors have advanced. Parameswaran states that application-specific sensors now cover almost all fields, including:
• Consumer devices: Sensors for position, proximity, orientation, and many other environmental parameters.
• Healthcare: Non-invasive trackers, wearable devices, and invasive VIVO sensors that can detect heart damage and mutated cells.
• Automobiles: Almost every aspect of a car is now monitored and measured using IoT sensors—from speed to fuel level, from brake pad damage to minute vibrations. V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) and V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure) are currently using technologies such as LiDAR ranging, representing the latest developments in remote sensing. A prominent use case and emerging trend in the market is autonomous vehicles, where IoT sensors will act as the driver's eyes and ears.
• Industrial manufacturing (chemicals, oil and gas): These are early adopters of sensor technology, which is capable of accurately measuring physical parameters such as temperature, pressure, viscosity, flow rate, and mass.
GPS tracker
Another important IoT sensor is the GPS tracker, which is mainly used in public transportation, private cars, and in the transportation and logistics industry. GPS trackers can be used to notify users of their location.
Aliaksandr Kuushynau, head of division at Gurtam Wialon, said: “In terms of both demand and supply, the main type of sensor we see in the IoT market is GPS trackers. By tracking ‘things’—whether it’s fleets, logistics vehicles, public transportation, or agricultural machinery—businesses and individuals are able to identify efficiency and monitor safety more effectively than ever before.”
Sensors are essential for providing critical feedback data, which can be analyzed and subsequently used to drive action. For example, businesses can use the data to plan, record, and control equipment maintenance expenses. It can also be used to control crop planting and calculate fuel consumption for more efficient operations.
Sensors in manufacturing
Manufacturing is another sector with a wealth of use cases for IoT sensor technologies and even greater potential for the future. As the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) helps this sector, which has been slower to adopt digital processes, innovate, this trend shows no signs of slowing down.
Richard Simmons, Vice President of IoT Technology at Logicalis Group, explained: “In the past, one of our customers’ dedicated employees would climb onto cranes and large machinery every day to keep records, perhaps just to record how long they were used.”
Integrating IoT sensors brings connectivity to cranes. The sensors collect information and directly record usage time, automatically logging this data into IT systems. Once this type of visibility is achieved, more advanced sensors can then monitor and provide predictive maintenance. This is simple, and it increases productivity while better protecting employee safety—a key factor in most markets.
He said, “Manufacturers are also developing new products that already have sensors embedded. For many of our customers, this results in a new portfolio of assets, with sensors managed by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who make the equipment they are using, and them modifying the sensors to make their existing equipment smarter. This is one of the main reasons it gets complicated, because customers are unlikely to buy all their equipment from one supplier, and they are unlikely to update all their equipment at the same time. They end up using many sensors from many different suppliers, which can be a risk.”
Consider customer use cases
It is important to remember that when planning a digital transformation journey, such as the adoption of the Internet of Things, businesses must put clear business objectives at the top of their agenda.
"The specific sensors integrated into IoT devices vary widely, but it all depends on the customer's use case, including the parameters they are trying to monitor and the data they are trying to collect and manipulate," said Nick Earle, CEO of Eseye.
Currently available sensor examples can measure everything from location, temperature, humidity, pressure, access control, and security, providing features such as real-time video and personal identification. As the number of parameters continues to increase, this also places greater emphasis on factors such as device safety design and prototyping. It also underscores the need to collaborate with suppliers who have a thorough understanding of how best to integrate the device back into the customer's environment and whether the sensors can reliably transmit data back to customers worldwide.
Costa Coffee: A Case Study in the Retail Industry
Earle said, “A great real-world example is the collaboration between Eseye and Costa Coffee. By taking approximately 90 sensor measurements on coffee beverages served by Costa Express machines, including the amount of coffee beans and liquid level, cup proximity, temperature, and usage and customer behavior data, Costa Coffee is using the Internet of Things to integrate the coffee shop experience into the coffee machines to provide a highly personalized customer experience.”
Data from these sensors is collected at the source and transmitted back to the enterprise for analysis, aiding in predictive maintenance planning, reducing engineers' workload and saving money, while improving supply chain efficiency. This data can also be passed to suppliers, helping them understand when items are running low, enabling them to invoke Service Level Agreements (SLAs) when replenishment is needed, and preventing waste of consumables that impact the balance sheet.
