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FROM THE EDITOR: IT IS VITAL TO TARGET NEW SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AT THE MOST SUITABLE AND PROMISING APPLICATIONS.

Article Excerpt
SBD underscores that developers of sensor technology are optimally positioned to capture new business and generate lucrative commercial opportunities for their new sensing technology by focusing on developing lower-cost, smaller-size, more convenient yet high-performance sensors that are aimed at particular applications that can truly benefit from these features. New, enhanced sensing technologies, moreover, are most apt to find success by being aimed at markets/applications that are truly in need of and are receptive to innovations in sensor technology. As evidenced in the article on InvenSense in this issue of SBD, a sensor technology will, particularly, have opportunities in the marketplace if it is designed to provide significant cost, as well as performance, advantages and is targeted specifically at significant and expanding applications where sensor cost is a critical driver.

Loadstar Sensors (Sunnyvale, CA, 650-465-3004)(www.loadstarsensors.com) is a developer and manufacturer of capacitive force sensors/load cells designed to provide a lower-cost, low-profile, rugged, highly accurate and convenient solution for established as well as emerging applications. Moreover, the lower-cost technology can enable new applications that have, historically, been constrained, due to the high prices for such sensors.

In addition to offering a low-cost solution, a thin profile, ease of installation, and high resolution, Loadstar's sensors are designed to provide: ease of connectivity (sensor information can be accessed from a computer or PDA via a wired or wireless gateway, and information can be displayed and accessed via the Internet on a graphical Web page); a simple interface (for delivering weight or force data to programmable controllers, data loggers, data acquisition or SCADA systems, PCs or customer host circuits without using expensive signal conditioning or Wheatstone bridges (that are used in force sensors); high sensitivity (e.g., sensitivity at the low end of the measurement range to achieve solid low-level readings without switching ranges); ruggedness (the sensors do not use bonded foils or cantilevers, and purportedly can endure strong overloads without requiring recalibration); and low power consumption (the sensor typically draws 0.04 microWatts of power, allowing for extended battery life in battery-powered devices without having to turn off the sensor when it is idle).

Div Harish, president of Loadstar Sensors, explained that key features that distinguish Loadstar's force and load sensors from existing force/load sensors include: significantly lower cost;...

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