Sensors

In the late 20th century, the requirement for accurate measurements of a range of physical and chemical parameters and the variety of applications of the sensors and instrumentation with which such measurements are made is immense. As a basic tool of science, having an application area on which modern industry is vitally dependent, there is an increasing need for an acute awareness of developments in the field of sensors and their applications. This text gives illustration to a wide variety of technologies which have been employed in the development of new and different sensor schemes, coupled with several of the application areas for sensors and instrumentation in the industrial, medical and environmental fields. With the increased pressure of legislation from the European Community and beyond, coupled with a greater awareness from the public of the need for strict monitoring, especially of contaminants and pollutants, there is a continuing requirement for more accurate sensors to make measurements, both remotely and with a high degree of precision. Sensors must therefore operate not only in the laboratory under idealized conditions but also in the field and be capable of good performance even when unattended for long periods. Thus, the requirements for good design in every sense is fundamental to modern sensor needs. This volume records the proceedings of the 5th Conference on Sensors and their Applications, which was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in September 1991. The conference represented the latest in a series of conferences organized in the UK in this field, following upon the first in Manchester in 1983 and including the first Eurosensors Conference in Cambridge in 1987.