Summary

This chapter introduced a variety of sensors used across a wide range of embedded applications. We saw that passive sensors measure attributes of the world, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, light intensity, and atmospheric composition, while active sensors use technologies such as radar and lidar to detect objects and measure their position and velocity. This chapter also discussed the types of processing an embedded system must perform in order to convert raw sensor readings into actionable data.

Having completed this chapter, you have learned about the different types of sensors used in embedded systems and understand what passive and active sensors are, and are familiar with several types of sensors in each category. You are also familiar with the basic processing techniques performed on raw sensor data to provide information suitable for use in processing algorithms.

The next chapter discusses the need for embedded systems to generate real-time responses to...