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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 9816

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Dr. Minh Long Hoang

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
Interests: MEMS; IMU sensors; machine learning; deep learning; signal processing; Internet of Things
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Vikram Pakrashi

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
Interests: vibration; energy harvesting; structural health monitoring and control; smart materials and structures; dynamical systems; risk quantification and reliability analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in sensor technology and signal processing are transforming numerous fields, from healthcare and environmental monitoring to industrial automation and smart cities. As sensors become increasingly integrated into both consumer and industrial applications, there is a growing need for accurate, reliable, and efficient measurement systems capable of real-time data processing. This Special Issue aims to showcase innovative research and practical applications in sensor design, data acquisition, and signal analysis.

We invite researchers, professionals, and industry experts to submit the original research articles, review papers, and case studies for the Special Issue "Sensor Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing."

Topics of Interest:

Development and optimization of sensors for advanced measurements;
Signal processing techniques for real-time data analysis;
Novel applications of sensors in IoT, wearable devices, and embedded systems;
Integration of MEMS sensors in measurement applications;
Smart sensors, data fusion, and machine learning in sensor technology.

Mirco Mongilli (mirco.mongilli@unipr.it)
Guest Editor Assistant

Dr. Minh Long Hoang
Dr. Vikram Pakrashi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sensor technology
measurement systems
signal processing
MEMS sensors
data fusion
real-time data analysis
precision measurements
adaptive signal processing
condition monitoring

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profile of 50 m Sprinting: The Influence of Carbon-Plated Spikes on Maximum-Velocity Performance

by Krzysztof Mackala, Michal Krzysztofik, Adrian Weber, Dariusz Mroczek and Adam Zajac

Sensors 2025, 25(7), 1979; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25071979 - 22 Mar 2025

Viewed by 310

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to determine whether the type of spike can influence the final sprint result by comparing step by step the kinematics of four 50-m sprints. Twelve well-trained junior sprinters (ages 17–19) from the Polish National Team (ranging from 100 to 400 m) participated in the study, with personal bests in the 100-m sprint of 10.70 ± 0.19 s. The OptoJump Next-Microgate sensor measurement system (Optojump, Bolzano, Italy) was used to measure the essential kinematic sprinting variables. Following the sprint distance, photocells were placed on the track at the start, at 10 m, at 20 m, at 30 m, and at the finish (50 m). Fifty-meter sprints were completed alternately, two with classic and two with the carbon-plated spikes. For every sprinter, the order in which the spikes were chosen was randomized. To better understand the problem of variability in kinematic parameters, in addition to the actual statistics, the profile analysis process was applied. The analysis of the four 50 m sprints did not show significant differences between the kinematic parameters considering runs in both the classic Nike and carbon-plated Nike ZoomX Flymax spikes. It may be suggested that spikes’ sole bending stiffness may not affect short-distance (up to 50–60 m) sprinting performance. From a practical point of view, training focused on maximum speed development can be carried out with both classic and carbon-plated spikes. Finally, our experiment can guide the preparation of a research methodology that assesses the effect of carbon-plated spikes on prolonged sprinting, e.g., 200–400 m. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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17 pages, 5259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Impact of Laser Settings on Parameters of Induced Graphene Layers Constituting the Antenna of UHF RFID_LIG Transponders

by Aleksandr Kolomijec, Piotr Jankowski-Mihułowicz, Mariusz Węglarski and Nikita Bailiuk

Sensors 2025, 25(6), 1906; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061906 - 19 Mar 2025

Viewed by 264

Abstract

The aim of the research is to investigate the impact of laser operation parameters on the LIG (laser-induced graphene) process. It focuses on evaluating the feasibility of using the induced conductive layers to create antenna circuits that are dedicated to radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. Given the specific design of textile RFIDtex transponders, applying the LIG technique to fabricate antenna modules on a flexible substrate (e.g., Kapton) opens new possibilities for integrating RFID labels with modern materials and products. The paper analyses the efficiency of energy and data transmission in the proposed innovative UHF RFID_LIG tags. The signal strength, read range, and effectiveness are estimated in the experimental setup, providing key insights into the performance of the devices. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that changes in laser cutting parameters, the size of the induced graphene layer, and the method of fixing the Kapton substrate significantly affect the quality of the cutting/engraving components and the conductivity of burned paths. However, these changes do not directly affect the correct operation of the RFID_LIG transponders, owing to the fact that these structures are resistant to external impacts. Nevertheless, an increased range of data readout from the RFID_LIG tags can be achieved by using graphene paths with higher conductivity. The obtained results confirm the validity of the proposed concept and provide a foundation for further research on adapting the LIG method to automated logistics, ultimately leading to the development of more versatile and innovative solutions for identification processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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19 pages, 9412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Micro-Vibration Analysis of Segmented Telescope Based on Opto-Mechanical Integration

by Kangmin Wen, Lingjie Wang, Xuefeng Zeng, Yang Liu, Wenyan Li, Lianqiang Wang, Wei Sha and Di Zhou

Sensors 2025, 25(6), 1901; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061901 - 19 Mar 2025

Viewed by 167

Abstract

Aiming at the inherent nature and complexity of the influence of in-orbit micro-vibration in the imaging quality of segmented telescopes, a dynamic full-link opto-mechanical integration analysis method is proposed. The method is based on the measured micro-vibration signals of the infrared refrigerator, using the finite element method to perform the transient response analysis of the opto-mechanical system in Patran/Nastran software. The interface tool is written by Matlab to achieve the calculation of rigid body displacement and real-time data interaction with Zemax. The results show that when the working wavelength is 1 μm, the optical system has a wavefront error Root-Mean-Square value of less than 0.071λ in 4 s. Evaluating the effect of micro-vibration on the imaging quality of the system in terms of the peak ratio of the point spread function. When the exposure time was 2 s, the ratio maximum values of 0.4628 and 0.6207 were reached for the X-axis and Y-axis, respectively. The method provides an important reference basis for the evaluation of imaging quality of an optical system under micro-vibration environment with a long exposure time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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14 pages, 1366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Changes for Wearable Sensor-Derived Gait Stability, Symmetry, and Smoothness in Individuals with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

by Fulvio Dal Farra, Stefano Filippo Castiglia, Maria Gabriella Buzzi, Paolo Brasiliano, Sara De Angelis, Gianluca Paolocci, Simona Vasta, Gabriele Marangon, Amaranta Soledad Orejel Bustos, Elena Bergamini, Viviana Betti and Marco Tramontano

Sensors 2025, 25(6), 1764; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061764 - 12 Mar 2025

Viewed by 460

Abstract

Severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) often results in significant impairments in gait stability, symmetry, and smoothness. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) have emerged as powerful tools to quantify these aspects of gait, but their clinometric properties in sTBI populations remain underexplored. This study aimed to assess the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) of three IMU-derived indices—normalized Root Mean Square (nRMS), improved Harmonic Ratio (iHR), and Log Dimensionless Jerk (LDLJ)—during a 10 m walking test for sTBI survivors. Forty-nine participants with sTBI completed the walking test, with IMUs placed on key body segments to capture accelerations and angular velocities. Test-retest analyses revealed moderate to excellent reliability for nRMS and iHR in anteroposterior (ICC: 0.78–0.95 and 0.94, respectively) and craniocaudal directions (ICC: 0.95), with small MDC values, supporting their clinical applicability (MDC: 0.04–0.3). However, iHR in the mediolateral direction exhibited greater variability (ICC: 0.80; MDC: 9.74), highlighting potential sensitivity challenges. LDLJ metrics showed moderate reliability (ICC: 0.57–0.77) and higher MDC values (0.55–0.75), suggesting the need for further validation. These findings underscore the reliability and sensitivity of specific IMU-derived indices in detecting meaningful gait changes in sTBI survivors, paving the way for refined assessments and monitoring the rehabilitation process of sTBI survivors. Future research should explore these indices’ responsiveness to interventions and their correlation with functional outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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20 pages, 6348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application Research on High-Precision Tiltmeter with Rapid Deployment Capability

by Fuxi Yang, Dongxiao Guan, Xiaodong Li and Chen Dou

Sensors 2025, 25(5), 1559; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051559 - 3 Mar 2025

Viewed by 490

Abstract

This article introduces a high-precision vertical pendulum tiltmeter with rapid deployment capability to improve the observation efficiency, practicality, and reliability of geophysical site tilt observation instruments. The system consists of a pendulum body, a triangular platform, a locking pendulum motor, a sealed cover, a ratio measurement bridge, a high-precision ADC, and an embedded data acquisition unit. The sensing unit adopts a vertical pendulum system suspended by a cross spring and a differential capacitance bridge measurement circuit, which can simultaneously measure two orthogonal directions of ground tilt. The pendulum is installed on a short baseline triangular platform, sealed as a whole with the platform, and equipped with a locking pendulum motor. When the pendulum is locked and packaged, it can withstand a 2 m free fall impact, with high reliability and easy use. It can be quickly deployed without the need for professional technicians. This article analyzes its various performance and technical indicators based on its application in the rapid deployment of the Zeketai seismic station in Xinjiang. It is of great significance for emergency response, mobile observation, base detection, anomaly verification, and other applications of ground tilt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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21 pages, 16640 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Hammer Energy Measurement for the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) Using Pile Driving Analyzer and Kallpa Analyzer Devices in Peru

by Carmen Ortiz, Jorge Alva, José Oliden, Nelly Huarcaya, Grover Riveros and Roberto Raucana

Sensors 2025, 25(5), 1460; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051460 - 27 Feb 2025

Viewed by 1245

Abstract

Energy measurement in dynamic penetration tests is key to correctly interpreting test results and ensuring comparable geotechnical data. Although commercial devices are widely used, their high cost limits adoption in developing regions such as Peru, affecting the accuracy of soil evaluation in many geotechnical studies. In this context, this research presents an energy measurement system called Kallpa, which uses low-cost electronic components to digitize sensor signals during Standard Penetration Tests (SPTs). Kallpa employs high-resolution analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with an advanced sampling frequency, processing and storing data via a Raspberry Pi 4 microcomputer. The sensors, including accelerometers and strain gauges, were calibrated and compared with the Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) to validate their accuracy in the Kallpa system. This study involved sixteen Standard Penetration Tests (SPTs) conducted in various regions of Peru using donut hammers and two tests involving automatic hammers. The results demonstrate that the Kallpa system is comparable to other energy measurement devices on the market, such as the Dynamic Penetration Test (DPT), which provides accurate SPT energy measurements. The Kallpa Processor (Version 1.0) software was developed to perform data acquisition and calibration, analyzing approximately 500 hammer blows and comparing peak values with those of the Pile Driving Analyzer. The data collected by Kallpa’s sensors strongly agreed with the PDA data, validating the reliability of the device. The Energy Transfer Ratio (ETR) for manual hammers ranged from 43.5% to 68.4%, with an average of 58.9%, whereas automatic hammers presented ETR values between 82% and 87%. The correction of the N60 blow count allowed for the estimation of the relative density of soils evaluated at different depths and locations across Peru. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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12 pages, 2754 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Deep Learning Model for Detecting the Arrival Time of Weak Underwater Signals in Fluvial Acoustic Tomography Systems

by Weicong Zheng, Xiaojian Yu, Xuming Peng, Chen Yang, Shu Wang, Hanyin Chen, Zhenxuan Bu, Yu Zhang, Yili Zhang and Lingli Lin

Sensors 2025, 25(3), 922; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25030922 - 3 Feb 2025

Viewed by 594

Abstract

The fluvial acoustic tomography (FAT) system relies on the arrival time of the system signal to calculate the parameters of the region. The traditional method uses the matching filter method to calculate the peak position of the received acoustic signal after cross-correlation calculation within a certain time as the signal arrival time point, but this method is difficult to be effectively applied to the complex underwater environment, especially in the case of extremely low SNR. To solve this problem, a two-channel deep learning model (DCA-Net) is proposed to detect the arrival time of acoustic chromatographic signals. Firstly, an interactive module is designed to transmit the auxiliary information from the cross-correlation subnetwork to the original signal subnet to improve the feature information extraction capability of the network. In addition, an attention module is designed to enable the network to selectively focus on the important features of the received acoustic signals. Under the background of white Gaussian noise and real river environment noise, we use the received signals of the acoustic tomography system collected in the field to synthesize low SNR data of −10, −15, and −20 different decibels as datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed network model is superior to the traditional matching filtering method and some other deep neural networks in three low SNR datasets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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18 pages, 2889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study of Flame Dynamics in a Triple-Injector Swirling Nonpremixed Combustor Under Different Thermoacoustic Self-Excited Instability Modes

by Xiang Zhang, Suofang Wang and Yong Liu

Sensors 2025, 25(3), 850; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25030850 - 30 Jan 2025

Viewed by 716

Abstract

Combustion instability is one of the prominent and unavoidable problems in the design of high-performance propulsion systems. This study investigates the heat release rate (HRR) responses in a triple-nozzle swirling nonpremixed combustor under various thermoacoustic self-excited instability modes. Dynamic pressure sensors and high-speed imaging were employed to capture the pressure oscillations within the combustion chamber and the characteristics of flame dynamics, respectively. The results reveal nonlinear bifurcations in the self-excited thermoacoustic instabilities at different equivalence ratios. Significant differences in flame dynamics were observed across the instability modes. In lower frequency modes, the fluctuations in flame length contribute to the driving force of thermoacoustic instability. In relatively high-frequency modes, HRR fluctuations are dominated by the rolling up and convective processes of wrinkles on the flame surface. Alternating regions of gain and damping are observed on the flame surface. At even higher frequencies, both aforementioned HRR fluctuation patterns are simultaneously observed. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between flame dynamics and thermoacoustic instabilities, offering new insights into the design and optimization of nonpremixed combustion systems. The study underscores the importance of considering the spatial and temporal variations in flame behavior to effectively predict and control thermoacoustic instabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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16 pages, 4104 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Range Extension of Borehole Strainmeters Using MOSFET-Based Multi-Switch Automatic Zero Setting

by Chen Yang, Zheng Chen, Hong Li, Wenbo Wang, Weiwei Zhan, Liheng Wu, Yunkai Dong and Jiaxin Chen

Sensors 2025, 25(2), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25020476 - 15 Jan 2025

Viewed by 595

Abstract

Borehole strainmeters are essential tools for observing crustal deformation. In long-term observational applications, the dynamic changes in crustal deformation over multi-year scales often exceed the single measurement range of borehole strainmeters. Expanding the measurement range while maintaining high precision is a critical technical challenge. To address this, a full-range measurement system was developed using a bidirectional analog multi-switch based on MOS transistors and automatic feedback control. This system automatically adjusts the zero point of the measurement bridge, maintaining the bridge output at a near-balanced state. The quantifiable zero-setting actions are dynamically converted into equivalent voltage, enabling automatic full-range measurements while fully utilizing the effective linear range of the differential capacitive sensors. A laboratory performance tests demonstrated that an RZB borehole strainmeter equipped with this automatic zero-setting range extension system successfully covers the differential capacitive sensor’s effective linear range of approximately 100 μm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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18 pages, 4214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Spectroscopic Methodology to Early Detection of Urinary Tract Infections

by Ana F. N. S. Mendes, Nuno Matela, João M. P. Coelho and Joaquim T. Marquês

Sensors 2025, 25(2), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25020400 - 11 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1104

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a critical public health problem, with 30 to 40% of infections related to the urinary tract system. These urinary tract infections (UTIs) are considered one of the most common microbial infections in hospital settings and everyday community contexts, where approximately 80% are highly correlated with urinary catheter insertion, i.e., catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Considering that 15 to 25% of hospitalised patients need to be catheterised during their treatments and most CAUTIs are asymptomatic, it results in a tremendous challenge to provide an early diagnosis of CAUTI and therefore initiate its treatment. The lack of standardised methods as a first step for urine monitoring and early detection of UTIs is the driving force of this work, which aims to explore the potential of absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic methodologies to detect UTIs. Urine samples were used without any previous treatment to target the most straightforward testing protocol possible. In this work, we successfully developed a powerful methodology that combines ratiometric fluorescence spectroscopy measurements and transmittance at 600 nm to distinguish healthy urine from infected urine. The complementary use of fluorescence spectroscopy and transmittance is what makes the new methodology we propose such a powerful approach to monitor urine samples and provide early detection of UTIs since it provides a quantitative analysis of both healthy and infected urine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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19 pages, 4813 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Electric Field and Dielectrophoretic Force in a Parallel-Plate Cell Separation Device with an Electrode Lid and Analytical Formulation Using Fourier Series

by Daiki Nishikawa, Yoshinori Seki and Shigeru Tada

Sensors 2025, 25(1), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25010185 - 31 Dec 2024

Viewed by 730

Abstract

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) cell separation technology is an effective means of separating target cells which are only marginally present in a wide variety of cells. To develop highly efficient cell separation devices, detailed analysis of the nonuniform electric field’s intensity distribution within the device is needed, as it affects separation performance. Here we analytically expressed the distributions of the electric field and DEP force in a parallel-plate cell separation DEP device by employing electrostatic analysis through the Fourier series method. The solution was approximated by extrapolating a novel approximate equation as a boundary condition for the potential between adjacent fingers of interdigitated electrodes and changing the underlying differential equation into a solvable form. The distributions of the potential and electric fields obtained by the analytical solution were compared with those from numerical simulations using finite element method software to verify their accuracy. As a result, it was found that the two agreed well, and the analytical solution was obtained with good accuracy. Three-dimensional fluorescence imaging analysis was performed using live non-tumorigenic human mammary (MCF10A) cells. The distribution of cell clusters adsorbed on the interdigitated electrodes was compared with the analytically obtained distribution of the DEP force, and the mechanism underlying cell adsorption on the electrode surface was discussed. Furthermore, parametric analysis using the width and spacing of these electrodes as variables revealed that spacing is crucial for determining DEP force. The results suggested that for cell separation devices using interdigitated electrodes, optimization by adjusting electrode spacing could significantly enhance device performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors Technologies for Measurements and Signal Processing)

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