Abstract
The paper identifies ten market areas for sensors and then concentrates on the special characteristics, requirements and technologies of the industrial sector with its market purchases of US$2.8 Billion annually. The particular characteristics of this market are variety and a relatively long gestation period between the breadboard and the fully accepted and engineered product. The treatment of the subject and the definition of the word ‘recent’ in the title is related in the first half of the paper towards the fully engineered quantity production end of sensor development rather than on original research work much of which never reaches industrial usage. Some twenty examples, selected by the author, of interesting recent developments are briefly described. These were chosen on the basis of their technical interest and innovatory measurement principles rather than on their industrial importance. The latter part of the paper deals with potentially important technologies likely to influence sensor developments of the future such as Langmuir-Blodgett films and to mention in passing our Prime Minister's erstwhile scientific contribution to this topic.
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