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Significance Of Sensor-Fusion Powered Computer Interfaces In Day-To-Day Life

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Nandan Dubey, CTO, Cybernetyx

Nandan is an IITian with close to a decade of experience in the technology industry
We, humans, are blessed with five senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing with an in-built cross-sensory perception, which helps us in analyzing the context in any environment. Similarly, machines can be endowed with advanced and a wide range of sensors, that collect the data from the physical environment over a network, processes the data, and shares it via the desired interface. The capabilities of IoT and AI make our everyday devices intelligent to interpret the sensed information and offer sensible suggestions in different contexts.

Sensor fusion replicates the capabilities of the central nervous system to process sensory inputs derived from multiple sensors through touch, facial tracking, sound, posture etc. The computing interface senses the information and shares the data over the cloud, to process it into meaningful insights, helping users to make intelligent decisions.

Magnified Functionalities of Smart Sensors in IoT Devices
IoT has connected everyday things to the internet to collect the data and utilize the information for various purposes; and sensors make it possible to acquire that external data from the devices.

IoT devices fitted with smart sensors are getting exposed to chunks of data of past patterns, observe the incoming data patterns and compare it with the resulting outcomes. Based on the repeated processes and outcomes, it develops an algorithm and perceives it for further collaboration.

Imagine a smart house which turns on and off the lamplight at your command and can control the ambient temperature without any specific instruction, a car that sense you need a coffee break after a long drive, an office that reminds you about the next client meeting, and a smart device at home that creates a shopping to-do list – with you being on your couch. All these are possible when sensors perceive the environment and can allow AI to make contextual decisions.

Most Advanced Sensors for Multifunctional Applications
Vision Tracking Sensors: The vision sensor intelligently tracks human touch and gesture on large surfaces like wall or whiteboard or glass or

display. This enables users to interact with all computer applications on a life-size surface without the need for a mouse or keyboard.

Affective (Face Tracking) Sensors: The facial tracking sensors capture different emotions of people like student’s attentiveness in the classroom, employees’ engagement in a meeting, and customers’ preferences in the commercial places. It captures the behavioral patterns, keeps a record, and acts on it to increase the involvement and engagement of users.

Noise Tracking Sensors: It detects the sound waves through its intensity, analyses the ambient surrounding sound, detects the direction of arrival, and sends the information to the connected devices. Like, it immediately raises an alarm if it detects an unusual noise in the home and suppresses background noise during meetings.

Posture Tracking Sensors: The posture of teammates in the meeting room, students in the classes, participants in the yoga or aerobic sessions, sensors reveal their mood, and determine their attentiveness. The data can be used to predict performance, interest and take corrective actions.

Occupancy Tracking Sensors: Keeping a record of the total number of footfalls on the premises helps authorities to determine how many more people can be allowed. This is particularly useful in malls, parking lots, commercial spaces.

The IoT connected smart sensor devices capture the data, store it in the cloud, and analyze the information in different contexts


Impact of Sensors in Different Spaces
Learning Spaces: Measuring teaching and learning effectiveness is still the biggest challenge for many institutions. Using sensors-based devices in the classrooms tracks the facial recognition, attentiveness, sitting postures, happy and sad expressions, and participation of the students and gives an insight into their interest in different subjects. The IoT connected smart sensor devices capture the data, store it in the cloud, and analyze the information in different contexts.

Workspaces: Right from enabling creative discussions to collecting rich data and powerful insights into employees’ productivity, engagement, and involvement, maintaining strict security guidance, conference room usage, device utilization, and ensuring employee well-being, sensors can turn any facility into the smart workspace with increased efficiency and productivity.

Living Spaces: The motion detection sensors can alert if there is a movement within the home, or if the doors or windows have been opened or closed. They help in home automation like controlling temperature, turning off lights after occupants have left, detecting smoke etc.

Capable of voice interaction, music playback, make to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing real-time updates of weather, traffic etc., smart home devices like Google Home serves as an Intelligent home assistant and performs various tasks.

Conclusion
Smart sensors replace manual efforts with automated processes and make processes efficient and intelligent. It helps learning spaces in measuring the learning outcomes while it enhances productivity significantly at the workspaces. At home, motion detection sensors automate the processes and enhance security. Such perceptual intelligent sensors and products help people to make smart and intelligent decisions, based on the patterns received and processed by the sensors.

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