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"IEEE Sensors Alert" is a pilot project of the IEEE Sensors Council. Started as one of its new initiatives, this weekly digest publishes teasers and condensed versions of our journal papers in layperson's language.
Articles Posted in the Month (September 2025)
Design and Simulation Analysis of Electrolyte-Gated Aluminum Oxide Organic Thin-Film Transistor Biosensor for High Sensitivity
Author: Wadhwa Girish, Proto Antonino, Taibi Angelo, Thakur Anchal
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 6, March 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Payal Savani
The pH sensor has various applications in environmental, industrial, and healthcare monitoring. This paper introduces an electrolyte-gated aluminum oxide organic thin-film transistor (EG-Al₂O₃ OTFT) biosensor with a pentacene structure designed for highly sensitive detection. Using aluminum oxide improved stability, sensitivity, and low-voltage operation. The biosensor detects biomolecules by converting biochemical interactions into electrical signals. This low-cost, flexible, efficient device can prove to be a reliable biosensing for medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring.
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 4, February 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Gutierrez-rojas Daniel (Author)
As industrial systems grow more complex powered by wireless sensor networks (WSNs), effective anomaly detection becomes essential. This paper introduces a smart, explainable framework to detect and classify anomalies in WSN-enabled Cyber-Physical Systems. Enhanced by novel explainable AI (XAI) techniques, the model incorporates data acquisition, fusion, and analytics. The results show high accuracy and reliability with reduced risks, faster fault correction, enhanced efficiency, system security, and resilience against cyber threats.
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 5, March 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Kamalesh Tripathy
Transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) are essential for sensing applications that require accurate current-to-voltage conversion, such as biosensing, materials analysis, and device testing. Conventional TIA designs face trade-offs between gain, bandwidth, noise, and chip area. This paper introduces a programmable TIA fabricated in 65-nm Si-CMOS for high-capacitance inputs, using active feedback to achieve high effective resistance. The result is a compact, efficient, and flexible solution ideal for modern high-capacitance sensor interfaces.
Substrate Effects on the Transient Chemiresistive Gas Sensing Performance of Monolayer Graphene
Author: Fahrenthold Eric, Doshi Manasi, Zhang Jie
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 3, February 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Eric P. Fahrenthold (Author)
The substrate supporting monolayer graphene profoundly impacts its electronic properties and electrochemical response. Using a novel, non-contact eddy current method, the researchers show that different substrates dope the graphene in different ways, altering its conductivity, and can reverse how it reacts to gas exposure. This approach offers a fast, non-destructive method for qualitative assessment of low-dimensional materials and provides practical insights for sensor design.
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 3, February 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Saurabh Dubey
Health monitoring systems integrated into vehicles improve road safety. This paper presents a novel reflective photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor designed for in-vehicle heart rate monitoring. Embedded in the backrest of the vehicle's seat, the device provides non-intrusive, regular, and accurate heart rate monitoring with minimal motion or clothing interference. It is ideal for in-vehicle health monitoring applications that monitor heart rate, stress, and fatigue, thus enhancing driver comfort and safety.
Temperature-sensing methods with high sensitivity and quick response times are crucial for applications that require real-time temperature monitoring in challenging conditions. This paper introduces a novel optical fiber temperature sensor with a silicon Fabry-Pérot cavity attached to a single-mode fiber tip that achieves high sensitivity (84.6 pm/°C), exceptional resolution (0.0006°C), and a fast response time of 0.51 ms. The innovative design and performance metrics make it ideal for dynamic environments.
Tradeoff Between the Number of Transmitted Molecules and the BER Performance in Molecular Communication Between Bionanosensors
Author: Eckford Andrew, Jing Dongliang, Li Linjuan, Lin Lin
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 1, January 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Anupama
Molecular communication (MC) uses bionanosensors to transmit data using molecules. Due to limited transmitter resources, optimizing communication efficiency is critical. This study analyzes the relationship between the number of transmitted molecules and the bit error rate (BER). It introduces a balance function and uses a Gradient Descent Algorithm to find an optimal tradeoff. Results highlight a tunable framework for balancing communication reliability and molecular resource usage, benefiting applications in defense, healthcare, entertainment, and biosensing.
Monitoring the concentration of proteins in interstitial fluid is vital for assessing various diseases, including albuminuria and edema. This paper proposed an electrical spectroscopy-based system enhanced with admittance relaxation time distribution (aRTD) for protein concentration quantification. Results indicate that aRTD shows a positive correlation with total protein concentration at high relaxation times and can distinguish between albumin and γ-globulin concentration fluctuation at lower relaxation times.
Real-Time Vehicle Classification and License Plate Recognition via Deformable Convolution-Based Yolo v8 Network
Author: R Srinivasan, A Arivarasi, D Rajeswari, Govindasamy Alagiri
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 24, Issue: 23, December 2024)
Summary Contributed by: Saurabh Dubey
An exponential increase in vehicles has made traffic management challenging. The proposed novel DEN-YOLO uses a YOLOv8 model with a deformable convolution network for better adaptation to varying object shapes. It uses low-light enhancement, defogging, and super-resolution to improve image clarity even in challenging conditions. It provides fast and reliable vehicle and license plate detection for traffic management, toll collection, and surveillance, making it ideal for real-world applications.
Design and Fabrication of Highly Performance EGFET and Application in Thrombin Detection
Author: Wang Yiqing, Ding Song, Jiang Jidong, Liu Tao, Wang Ting, Zhang Minghui, Zhang Wei, Zhu Xinglong
Published in: IEEE Sensors Journal (Volume: 25, Issue: 3, February 2025)
Summary Contributed by: Yiqing Wang (Author)
Extended-gate field-effect transistors (EGFETs) are highly effective in ion detection, particularly pH sensing. Their unique design simplifies fabrication and maintenance. This study introduces a 3D simulation-optimized EGFET designed for pH sensing and detecting highly sensitive thrombin, a crucial biomarker in blood coagulation. The device demonstrated exceptional pH sensitivity, long-term stability, and quick and specific thrombin recognition. The results highlight the potential applications in biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and point-of-care testing.
The usual MEMS mirror-based Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems are suitably lightweight and accurate but have a narrow field of view (FOV). The proposed LiDAR prototype with a customized wide-angle lens in front of the MEMS mirrors could successfully scan a large FOV to produce a 3D image with negligible distortion. Successful integration may increase its potential use in autonomous vehicles, drones, mobile robotic devices, disaster prediction etc.
Knee injuries and other minor or chronic knee conditions are prevalent. Monitoring rehabilitation or medication progress in knee treatment is time-consuming, expensive, and requires regular imaging, follow-ups, and several tests. However, knee health can be monitored and “joint health score” calculated remotely with wearable sensors that pick up sound, swelling, temperature and motion. Packaging these sensors into a wearable brace is vital for monitoring the knee.
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