Week 2 - Future Sensor Capabilities - Group B

               Whether they realize it or not, sensors are a major part of people’s everyday lives. Throughout the course of your day, there is almost a definite chance you will interact with a sensor in some fashion or facet. Sensors come in a variety of fashions and are very versatile in their use. Automatic sliding doors, voice recognition on your phone, HVAC systems, and smoke detectors are just a few examples in the plethora of sensors the common person comes into contact with on a daily basis. With that being said, there is much development and advancement being made in the field of sensor technology.  

                As this decade progresses, sensors are seeing vast improvements to their capabilities. They are becoming smarter and more accurate in their functioning. For example, a new type of sensor has been developed called the Dropcam Sensor. By and large, the Dropcam is a cloud-connected video camera with extremely advanced characteristics such as advanced zooming, machine learning algorithms, and video feed filters. It utilizes a six-element, all-glass lens. This type of lens allows for a larger light sensor, allowing the camera to have double the clarity in a fully-lit room as well as up to seven times the clarity in darker environments. The cloud capability of Dropcam allows for owners to view the video feed from the Dropcam sensor on their smart phone or mobile devices. In this sense, the functions of the sensor, which in the past have been limited to their immediate areas (i.e. smoke alarms) are becoming mobile and constantly feeding information to the user.

                The most impressive aspect of the Dropcam sensor is the AI features. If Dropcam is facing a window for example, and a tree is swaying in the wind, it will recognize and learn that that particular tree is a routine aspect of the environment it is monitoring, and will not alert the user as a result.

                I focused on Dropcam for the aforementioned reasons. I feel that the Dropcam sensor really is the pinnacle of sensor technology. More often than not, when people think of sensors, they think of security, at least I do. This Dropcam sensor encompasses the cutting-edge development that sensor technology is experiencing, and will be experiencing, in the future.

Harris, Derek. "Dropcam’s new camera is crystal clear — and it’s learning, too." Gigaom. n. page. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://gigaom.com/2013/10/10/dropcams-new-camera-is-crystal-clear-and-its-learning-too/>.