Finland: Researchers have developed a miniature gas sensor that can be connected to mobile devices.
Scientists at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland say that gas measurements made with smartphones will make activities such as the detection of internal air problems easier.
The miniaturised gas sensor is based on Fabry-Pérot interferometers (FPI) – adjustable optical filters. The tiny gas sensor is based on channelling light through the sample being analysed. Penetrability at various light wavelengths can be used to determine the composition of the compound. Carbon dioxide is identified based on its strong absorption of light at a wavelength of 4.2µm. In addition, a corresponding sensor technology can be used to simultaneously differentiate and detect other gases or substances based on the spectrum of their absorption peaks at various infra-red wavelengths.Read more