Smart milliwatt NO2 sensor used for environmental monitoring
The sensors have a detection limit for NO2 of less than 10 ppb and a fast response time making them suitable for air quality monitoring. The sensors are being tested in as part of an environmental monitoring trial in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
The purpose of the trial is to test the stability of the sensors, and benchmark them against established reference sensors. The sensors have been operational since May 2015. During traffic rush hours, the sensors detect a significant increase of NO@ concentration up to the health safety limits.
Imec and Holst Centre are currently deploying a similar sensor network inside the Holst Centre building in Eindhoven to test the sensors for indoor air quality monitoring. In a next step, proprietary low-cost low-power sensors will be added for CO2, volatile organic compounds, ozone, and particulate matter.
"Data fusion methodology and advanced algorithms enable us to combine data from different sensors such as temperature, several gasses, humidity, human presence detection and to derive contextual knowledge," said Kathleen Philips, director of imec’s perceptive systems for the intuitive internet of things R&D program.
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