The market value for environmental gas sensors will be worth more than $3 billion by 2028, according to a new report from market research company IDTechEx. Most growth will come from internet-of-things (IoT) applications in smart cities, smart homes, as well as running on smartphones and wearable devices.
The market is currently dominated by the automotive industry, where sensors are used to automate air flow into the drivers’ compartment. As yet, methods are highly technical and bulky, and provide low spatial coverage, limiting their usefulness to individuals. They are also expensive, costing upwards of $1000 per module.
But lower-power, more affordable sensors are starting to becoming available, and being integrated into consumer electronics. By 2028, more than 700 million sensors will be used in mobile phones, says the report, Environmental Gas Sensors 2018-2028.
In tandem, sensors will play a crucial role in IoT development, featuring extensively in smart home and smart city solutions, notably in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, air purifiers, and smart windows.
Market segments have different priorities: smart city solutions require a broader sensing range of sensing; personal devices are governed by size and price. The choice of environmental sensor varies with its application, the report notes. Sensors for a number of atmospheric pollutants and detection principles are considered.
The report features reviews of pellistor sensors, infrared sensors, metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors, electrochemical sensors, and optical particle monitor (OPM) sensors. These are compared with traditional methods for gas monitoring such as ultraviolet adsorption or filter dynamics measurement system.
The report provides a list of main manufacturers of gas sensors, and runs a SWOT analysis of the top 10.
Poor air quality causes more deaths annually than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, notes the report. IDTechEx commented: “There is a growing market looking for ultra-low power, low cost, mini-size gas sensors, which can be integrated into vast amounts of devices and connected with each other.
“Through the rapid spread of IoT, the air quality information will be intensively collected, shared and analysed, and will contribute to a healthier society.”
