Some Observations on the Challenges of Chemical Sensor Commercialization

Chemical sensors continue to offer significant commercialization potential.  They are an enabling technology of the ever-expanding digital world that seeks to measure (and control) our environment, our health and our manufacturing processes.  The development and commercialization of chemical sensors has always been much more challenging than the development of physical sensors due to the vast number of potential measurands, the complexity of potential interferences and the (comparatively) low production volumes that existing markets will support.

This talk is aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs and will use the development of some Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) chemical sensor products as a case history.  Particular attention will be given to detailing the chronology and issues encountered in the following steps:

•           initial invention and establishing the limits of the technology

•           identifying suitable niche applications

•           product development & system engineering

•           validation and agency approvals

•           production

•           marketing, sales and servicing

Commercially successful products can result when the initial customer needs are deeply understood, the sensor performance exceeds market expectations, the time-to-market (and associated capital requirement) is correctly predicted and the market-acceptable selling price of the sensor is high enough to support the cost of production.