10 IoT Sensors and What They Bring to Digital Twins

Sensors are as ubiquitous as the air they’re sometimes used to monitor.?

In fact, if you’re reading this on a smartphone then you’re likely already facing a handful of sensors collecting information that makes your pocketable device so powerful.

The thing with sensors is that while they originally began as large and bulky, they’ve shrunk considerably in size while retaining all of their functionality. As such, it’s never been easier to integrate multiple sensors into a single asset. That is of importance to digital twin builders since Internet of Things (IoT) sensors are the glue that ties real-world assets to their virtual counterparts through data.??

Here are 10 commonly used IoT sensors and the kind of information they bring to digital twins.

1. LEVEL SENSORS

A relatively straightforward example of a sensor, these devices measure when a solid, liquid, or gas either drops or surpasses?a predetermined level. Digital twins of operations involving natural resource extraction benefit from level sensors to make sure containers don’t overflow. Digital twins monitoring waste management or cargo storage also make use of these devices to optimize inventory.?

2. TEMPERATURE SENSORS

If you’ve ever used a thermometer then you’ve used a temperature sensor. IoT temperature sensors take things up a notch by converting that measurement of temperature into a digital signal that’s relayed to a computer to process and visualize that data. The applications range from measuring soil temperatures in digital twins of farms and crop fields to water temperature used in city infrastructure.

3. HUMIDITY SENSOR

If you’ve ever found yourself either too hot or too cold in a room, then there might be something up with the humidity sensor in your?HVAC system. By measuring the amount of moisture in the air, in conjunction with a separate temperature sensor, HVAC systems calculate the dew point temperature of the air. That then determines whether your system warms or cools the air before circulating it to your room. As more people start returning to offices, digital twins of HVAC systems will allow property owners to regulate building temperatures (along with their heating bill!) from afar.

4. AIR QUALITY SENSORS

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the focus on air quality to a more personal level. Digital twins aren’t quite on a scalable level where air quality sensors can detect the concentration of airborne viruses in a room, but these sensors still offer plenty of value on a larger scale. As countries continue to grapple with wildfires,?air quality sensors?will hold a crucial role in monitoring acceptable levels of ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide.

5. SOUNDS SENSORS

Sound sensors?come in a variety of functions but all are able to register sound waves as electrical signals and route that information into a dashboard containing the digital twin. More advanced levels of sound sensors can also record sound, while others can also assess sound frequency through a meter. Digital twins or construction sites, airports, and seaports already use hundreds of sound sensors to ensure noise levels stay within an acceptable level for nearby residents.

6. WATER-QUALITY SENSORS

Like sound sensors, you’re bound to come across hundreds of these at digital twins at seaports or drinking water sources. When it comes to drinking water, you can?expect sensors that measure?the pH (how acidic or basic is your water?), chemical levels (what kind of chlorine or fluoride levels are we dealing with?), or turbidity (the quality of the water-based on how much light passes through). From an environmental steward standpoint, monitoring oxygen levels is key as it determines algae bloom or bacteria growth that could potentially devastate ecosystems.

7. PRESSURE SENSORS

Speaking of water, digital twins of water networks rely on hundreds of connected?pressure sensors?to ensure there are no leaks (when water pressure unexpectedly drops) or blockages (when water pressure unexpectedly builds before rupturing). Other applications also apply to digital twins of networks transporting gas.

8. INFRARED SENSORS?

Probably one of the more versatile devices on this list, infrared sensors are used in construction, medical, and even in home-security industries.?They work in one of two ways: either by passively receiving radiation or by actively emitting as well as receiving radiation. Passive versions can be used in digital twins of homes to monitor temperature zones or to alert security when an intruder’s body heat triggers a sensor.

When it comes to active infrared sensors, a common example is an automatic door, which employs beams of infrared lights that trigger an open door when an object connects with said light rays. Another application is with lidar guns, a tool used by law enforcement to determine the speed of vehicles by firing a beam of infrared light and then calculating the speed based on how fast the beam returns to the gun.

9. ACCELEROMETERS

Speaking of speed,?accelerometers?are the types of sensors that measure a rate of change in velocity. They’re typically used in the automotive and aerospace industry where they’re placed in parts of planes to track how fast rotors, wheels, or turbines, feeding data to their digital twins. They’ve also got applications for vehicle safety as they’re used inside crash test dummies, (arguably the best version of a human digital twin) to calculate the force of impact involved in car accidents.?

10. GAS SENSORS

Every house should have at least two of these sensors in the form of a carbon monoxide alarm and a smoke detector. On an industry-wide scale, these sensors are employed in the mining and oil sectors.?Gas sensors?can detect when space has reached a hazardous level of vapours and signal an alarm. When connected to digital twins, this would allow operators to?remotely monitor levels and potentially shut down any leaks.

Which IoT sensors can you see using in your digital twin? Let us know in the comments below.?