Abundant Chemical Sensors and the Trillion Sensor Universe

A condition call “Abundance” is predicted, illustrating how technology will lead to a world wherein everyone has all their basic human needs satisfied, i.e., sufficient water, food, energy, healthcare, education, and freedom (Figure 1) [1]. This produces a vision of the trillions of sensors that will be needed to satisfy the “awareness” that this situation demands. A broad group of visionaries in the sensor community have produced a roadmap of the drive to trillions of sensors and the consequences thereof [2].  There is now a 3.5 billion sensor market [red line, Figure 1] due to the explosion of mobile devices. It is clear that mobile devices have put billions of physical sensors in place that include temperature, pressure, acceleration, light, proximity and stress in consumer, medical, automotive, and industrial applications. Devices used for the benefit of consumers and by societal infrastructure have created high volume markets for sensors.  The prediction is that systems supporting global evolution and solutions to global problems like the elimination of hunger, a supply of abundant clean water and air, the reduction of global warming, the development of green energy, and the provision of  universal healthcare will drive the need to trillions of sensors.

Where do chemical sensors fit into this concept? Clearly, chemical sensors face an uphill challenge, but it is difficult to imagine reaching these goals without being able to sense, for example,  energy gases, pollutants in air and water and medical conditions that are comprised of chemical and biochemical upsets. Having looked at the need for trillions of sensors, how does the chemical sensor community produce these sensors, which will need to be low cost and high volume as well as high performance? History tells us that typical sensor developments can take 20 years or more from invention to product introduction. Also, the sensors must be capable of emergent property determinations which are not yet available.

Chemical and bio-sensors and the technology needed to provide human needs of health and wellness, energy, food, water, safety, security, and comfort in the future will need to be designed for sensory capability, integration into devices, and manufacturability. The diversity encountered in chemical dimensions adds immensely to the challenge of producing sensory data compensated for this complexity and rapidly changing temporal, spatial, and environmental situations.

Large markets will obviously come from the emerging global tides such as Abundance, CeNSE, Internet of Things, Digital Health, Context Computing, IBM 5-in-5 senses for computers.  All of these will require large numbers of chemical sensors, from simple variables such as water and air pollution to complex ones such as body fluid diagnosis and health status.  Chemical sensors have already reached mobile markets, including humidity sensors embedded into the Samsung S4 cellphone and organicity embedded in appcessories [1].  Clearly the challenge to create unique sensors is here.

3D printing, plastic electronics (PE) and MEMS will offer possibilities to transition chemical sensors into the trillion sensor universe. Some examples include the new SPEC and MEMS sensors introduced in 2013 by KWJ Engineering.

We report here on the major challenges and opportunities to get to trillions of chemical sensors into everyday life. Examples of new “printed” sensors are unique not only for their improved performance but also for the low cost manufacturing that will allow integration of high sensor volumes with the eight exponential technologies of biotechnology and bioinformatics, computational systems, sensor networks,  artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing and infinite computing, medicine, and nanomaterials and nanotechnology.

1] Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler , “Abundance,” Free Press (2012).

2] T Sensors Summit for Trillion Sensor Roadmap, , Stanford University  October 23-25, 2013, http://www.tsensorssummit.org/index.html.