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Sensors

By their very definition, sensors are devices that measure or detect things such as light, heat and electric current. That’s why NIST, as the nation’s measurement science institute, has been in the sensor business since its earliest years. NIST has continually developed ever-more-accurate measurement devices based on various forms of light, special materials, and quantum phenomena such as superconductivity for a broad range of applications, from aviation to medicine to communications.

These sensors measure all kinds of quantities such as time, distance, mass, temperature, voltage, and fluid volume and flow. Many of the latest NIST sensors are ultra-compact and use very little power. 

Examples of NIST sensors include:

  • Clocks based on the behavior of atoms in a tiny glass container on a chip. 
  • Frequency combs—"rulers of light”—acting like gears to convert high-frequency signals to readable levels. 
  • Thermometers based on tracking how heat changes the way light travels through tiny channels. 
  • Microwave radiation methods that measure properties of complex fluids containing cells, DNA, proteins and other biological materials. 
  • Techniques to measure tiny masses and forces based on pressure exerted by a laser beam reflecting from a mirror. 
  • Radiation detectors in ID cards that work by sensing how atoms change their behavior. 
  • New kinds of acceleration sensors to back up navigation systems for aircraft. 
  • Voltage standards for developing and testing communications signals and devices.

The Research

Projects & Programs

Bioelectronic Sensors for Tissue/Organ-on-a-Chip Systems

Ongoing
We apply our expertise in micro/nanofabrication, electrokinetics and cell-based assays to develop bioelectronic sensors in microfluidic platforms. We are working on a platform that entraps cells for electrochemical monitoring in an environment that has mechanical properties more similar to those

Cyber Physical Systems and Internet of Things Program

Ongoing
Objective - Enable scalable, dependable design methods and reproducible performance measurement for effective and trustworthy (reliable, safe, secure, resilient and privacy-enhancing) cyber-physical systems and IoT, by means of new measurement science, advanced testing and assurance capabilities and

Additional Resources Links

News

Operation Tech Transfer

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a world-class research organization. We have phenomenal scientists and engineers with impeccable research credentials. Our researchers are experts in a range of fields including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fire, forensics, infrastructure, manufacturing and public safety. They are constantly pushing the boundaries of

Tiny New Lasers Fill a Long-Standing Gap in the Rainbow of Visible-Light Colors, Opening New Applications

NIST Researcher Provides Insights on Interoperability Testing Methods of Smart Sensors at 2024 Sensor Converge

IEEE 1451.0 - 2024 Standard Published Under Leadership of NIST Researchers

Greenhouse Gas Measurements

NIST Greenhouse Gas Measurement Program
NIST Greenhouse Gas Measurement Program
NIST’s Greenhouse Gas Measurements Program develops advanced tools for accurately measuring emissions so industries and governments will have the information they need to manage emissions effectively.

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