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Sensor100
January 2016
6
Trends in SensorTechnology 2016
“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”
Niels Bohr
1
Wireless technology -
it is safe to say that the development of sensors
linked to mobile phone technology will continue, but there will be a rationaliza-
tion in the plethora of apps sometime soon
2
Microfluidics -
a technology which has not fulfilled its promise yet but is
slowly beginning to move from the lab to the market; uncertainty surrounding
Theranos may inhibit wider adoption
3
Multiplex technology -
sensors and sensor platforms which can either adapt
to different analytes, or can simultaneously measure a number of things will be
a continuing trend; the days of the single analyte sensor maybe behind us
4
Technology platforms -
electrochemical and optical technology continue
to dominate market applications. Impedance sensors which gained a lot of
academic interest in 2015 do not seem to have gained a market foothold, yet.
SERS technology is now firmly established in commercially available instrumen-
tation.
5
Application areas -
healthcare dominates applications with remote patient
monitoring, diabetes, and infectious diseases being at the forefront of new de-
velopments. PoC technology has gained the support of leading medical device
companies, so despite concerns about its viability, is likely to survive
Michael Brand |
Editor |
Sensor100
6
Materials science
- including biomaterials, hybrids of bio and polymer chem-
istry, new types of stimuli responsive materials that are under-pinning a move
towards futuristic ‘bioinspired’ sensing platforms that will incorporate advanced
biomimetic functions (self-diagnostics, self-repair, self-assembly, autonomous
smart movement to pre-programmed locations, multi-functional…)
Dermot Diamond,
Professor, Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University
Email:
demot.diamond@dcu.ie