Sensors

• [New] Power-hungry GPS or cellular tracking devices and sensors could not be used for global supply chain visibility: they could not track shipments such as intercontinental sea freight or international shipments with long transit time.
• [New] As more IoT sensors are introduced to OT networks linking crucial building safety systems like elevators, fire safety, BMS, and other Cyber-Physical Systems, the attack surface grows and the risk of safety incidents and corporate liability increases.
• [New] Artificial intelligence, always-on sensors, and real-time micro-interventions are part of the Future of Health that we expect will emerge over the next 20 years.
• [New] Image Sensors Europe will return in 2021 in a new online format and will bring together the entire image sensors supply chain including representatives from end-users in all the main applications, camera system suppliers, sensor design houses and technology developers, optics suppliers.
• [New] Researchers in Southampton, UK and San Francisco have developed a lidar sensor that could pave the way for low-cost, high-performance 3D imaging.
• The processors of the future are intended for use in Continental's high-performance vehicle computers, among other applications, where they will perform rapid processing of sensor data for automated and autonomous driving.
• Strategic Elements Ltd has started developing a 'Sensor Fusion' stack for integration into a new generation of autonomous robotic security vehicles that will make them more intuitive and more responsive to their environment.
• Storage device maker Seagate Technologies is using IoT sensors and artificial intelligence on its manufacturing line to predict equipment failures in real time.
• An energy-harvesting circuit based on graphene could be incorporated into a chip to provide clean, limitless, low-voltage power for small devices or sensors.
• The XLUUV will be made available to test on-board systems, sensors and payloads required to support a range of scenarios to help develop the Royal Navy's understanding of the utility and operational boundaries of uncrewed underwater vehicle systems.
• In Nigeria, the Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending helps farmers achieve better outcomes through the Microsoft FarmBeats platform, a cloud-based system that aggregates agricultural data through the use of sensors and drones.
• The Pentagon's space agency in 2021 will launch a series of experiments - including satellites with laser links and missile-tracking sensors - as is prepares to begin deploying a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit in 2022.
• In 2021, we expect to see more and more companies planning long term projects to build remote operations centers and start integrating robots and sensors into their daily workflows.
• The potential for sensors embedded into cells opens up the opportunity for distributed BMS to monitor and control individual cells.
• By 2035, advances in computing power and sensor technology will result in MASINT sensors that provide real-time information that identifies the signatures of existing and emergent threat capabilities and forces.
• French funding will go to sensor research, which gets €250 million, post-quantum cryptography (€150 million), quantum communications (€320 million) and €300 million for related technologies that make it possible to build quantum equipment.
• In terms of optics, the Samsung Galaxy A72 4G is said to have the quad rear camera setup that will include a 62-megapixel primary sensor, along with an 8-megapixel secondary sensor, 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle shooter, and a 2-megapixel sensor for capturing macro shots.
• SDA plans to launch 30 satellites in 2022-20 for a Transport Layer of data-relay satellites, eight for a missile-warning Tracking Layer and two sensor satellites from the Missile Defense Agency.
• Satellites with infrared sensors are expected to give U.S. nuclear deterrent forces about 30 minutes to respond to an intercontinental ballistic missile attack from Russia or China.
• Sufficient numbers of sensor and shooter locations so that, with coordination provided by a responsive battle management system, cruise missiles could be intercepted before they entered U.S. territory.
• Other sensors such as optical cameras or laser radar might be employed in special circumstances, but their relatively short detection ranges in the atmosphere would make them less suitable for the large area that must be covered in defense of the entire United States against low-altitude threats.
• In the 2035 battlespace, sensors in the imagery intelligence discipline will be severely constrained, compelling increased reliance on sensors in other intelligence disciplines to help Army forces locate adversaries while avoiding detection.

Last updated: 07 March 2021