Robolab: Sensors

Concept:
Date: 2006

Sensors are found in many objects we use in everyday life. They’re what you might call sensory organs that enable intelligent objects to perceive their environment.

Sensors can register temperature, humidity, pressure, sound, light, magnetism, acceleration and force, physical or chemical characteristics, and the material makeup of their surroundings. So-called active sensors react to changes in their environment by emitting an electrical current that can, in turn, trigger certain actions. This principle comes into play in control processes, for instance. Passive sensors function via a signal from their environment like a physical impulse. They’re used, for example, to register temperature or humidity.

In the Robolab, you’ll learn a lot of interesting stuff about linking up physical and chemical processes with digital systems. How can you hook up sensors to special software in order to run little experiments? How are sensors being utilized in interactive installations? At the Ars Electronica Center, you’ll encounter a wide array of sensors and learn how they work.