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SENSOR
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner
Synonyms:
detector; sensing element; sensor
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("sensor" is a kind of...):
device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sensor"):
metal detector (detector that gives a signal when it detects the presence of metal; used to detect the presence of stray bits of metal in food products or to find buried metal)
mine detector (detector consisting of an electromagnetic device; used to locate explosive mines)
electric eye; magic eye; photocell; photoconductive cell; photoelectric cell (a transducer used to detect and measure light and other radiations)
trace detector (a screening device for traces of explosives; used at airline terminals)
Derivation:
sense (perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles)
Context examples:
Specialized sensors detect and record the movements of the cantilever, providing an image with resolution at the atomic level.
(Atomic Resolution Microscopy, NCI Thesaurus)
LED sensors embedded in the five-meter walking track captured gait speed and stride length.
(Mental, Not Physical, Fatigue Affects Seniors' Walking Ability, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Detected by SEIS' more sensitive Very Broad Band sensors, these signals were even smaller than the Sol 128 event and more ambiguous in origin.
(NASA's InSight Detects First Likely 'Quake' on Mars, NASA)
Sensors are placed on a person’s head, which allows brain activity to be shown as patterns on a computer screen.
(EEG biofeedback, NCI Dictionary)
However, additional measurements and calibration of the sensors are needed to determine the precise correlation between blood and sweat glucose levels using the device.
(Diagnosing cystic fibrosis with wearable devices, NIH)
However, a sensor placed in a blood vessel could allow more frequent evaluations without the use of imaging dyes.
(Stretchable wireless sensor could monitor healing of cerebral aneurysms, National Science Foundation)
A sensor and circuit designed to sense the oxygen level in a space, environment, or material, as part of a larger device.
(Oxygen Monitor Subassembly Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)
An instrument for blood pressure monitoring consisting of a sphygmomanometer and an electronic pressure sensor (transducer) that detects blood flow by the presence of ocillations in the cuff pressure.
(Oscillometric Blood Pressure Monitor, NCI Thesaurus)
A sensor designed to respond to the presence or level of oxygen in a space or environment.
(Oxygen Sensor Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)
The authors found that the sensors in smartphones and similar devices could be used to issue warnings for earthquakes of approximately magnitude 7 or larger, but not for smaller, yet potentially damaging earthquakes.
(Crowdsourced Smartphone Data Could Give Advance Notice for People in Quake Zones, JPL)
