When was the last time you used a sensor? Chances are you might have used one to get to this information. Sensors are now being used just about everywhere. They can be found in most of the electronic gadgets that we use on a daily basis, and they can be found in modern automobiles. Sensors help automate things in some applications, while they may help us connect with some data in other applications. Here are the five most common sensors uses today.

The Touch Sensor

There is nothing quite like a sensor that can be activated with a simple touch of the finger. The easier a sensor is to use, the more likely it is going to be found out in the world. With all of the people using mobile computing devices these days, this is one sensor that sits on top of the list. If you are using one of the more popular smart phones that have a touch screen, then you are using a form of a touch sensor. The large amount of people using their mobile devices means that there is a large amount of touch sensors being used. Its ease of use and application has made this sensor extremely popular.

Sensors In the Automotive Industry

There is a wide variety of sensors being used in the automotive industry today. These sensors could be used for a wide variety of vehicle applications. Newer vehicles use sensors to alert a driver when they are too close to an object. These sensors can help a driver prevent a collision. There are other sensors that may alert a driver when they are low on fuel, low on washer fluid, and low on oil or anything that helps them maintain their vehicle. Due to the popularity of the modern vehicle, these sensors are also extremely common and popular.

A common oxygen sensor found in modern autombiles does not work like a thermistor.
Image credit: wikicommons public domain

Temperature Controlled Sensors

Another very popular form of sensor would be a temperature controlled sensor. These can be found quite frequently within the automotive industry, and they can also be found in industrial applications all over the world.
One of the more common places that you will find a temperature controlled sensor is your home. If your home has any sort of automated heating or cooling appliance, then you are using a temperature controlled sensor. In some cases it could be a thermostat, and in other cases it could be a thermistor. Both temperature controlled sensors can achieve the same affect, but they are based on very different principals.
A device generally comes with a lower price tag and a higher accuracy. These two qualities are responsible for making this type of temperature controlled sensor extremely popular. There is a wide variety of types with very different traits. The individual traits will help to determine the application. You can choose from response time, temperatures, probe diameters, resistance, probe length and more. This wide variety of traits has also helped to make this type of sensor even more popular.
Sensors are all around us. They have helped create a world that is full of automation and convenience.