Researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have come up with a smarter gas sensor, using machine learning to augment a relatively simple temperature sensor and sniff out specific gas types in the air.
“Unlike traditional gas sensors,” project lead Mohammad Younis explains, “our sensor does not require any special coating, which enhances the chemical stability of the device and also makes it scalable. You can scale the device down to the nano-regime without affecting its performance since it does need a big surface for the coating.”
Usman Yaqoob (left) and Nouha Alcheikh have worked with colleagues to develop a high-accuracy “smart” gas sensor. (📷: KAUST)
The team’s sensor is, in effect, a temperature sensor — constructed from a heated strip of silicon forming a microbeam resonator, clamped at both ends and bent to just before its buckling point. “When operated near buckling point,” first author Usman Yaqoob explains,