Sensor decisions

The role of smart sensors in our everyday lives is becoming increasingly fundamental. This topic focuses on what smart sensors are, how they are being used today and how they can be innovative in the future.

It is easy to get sensors to measure a change in their environment. The harder part is to make an electronic system that will make a decision based on the changes identified by input sensors, and then use that decision to change the output of the electronic system, e.g. to switch on a heater or fan, or to start a pump.

Activity info, teachers' notes and curriculum links

In this activity students look at simple tasks they do every day and investigate what sort of decisions need to be made. Students are encouraged to ‘think’ like an electronic system, considering a ‘change in environment’ that requires a ‘decision’ to be made and what the ‘output’ would be to satisfy that decision.

Students go on to apply some of these ideas to designing a simple electronic system.

The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

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