The sensor market is one of the tech industries hardest hit by the pandemic. The pandemic has further clouded the outlook for the automotive sensor market due to the reduction of fossil fuels and internal combustion engines and the commoditization of existing sensor technologies.
IDTechEx concludes in its survey of the post-pandemic sensor market: "The sensor business is in turmoil..."
The problem is cost, not demand. Struggling automakers, for example, are trying to get as many lidar sensors as they can get their hands on, but the unit cost is still high.
By contrast, mass production targeting emerging markets for biosensors such as glucose monitors appears to be a way out of the industry's current woes. IDTechEx also sees an emerging market where sensors are incorporated into municipal water supplies and grids, perhaps stemming the decline in the energy sector.
In fact, innovation in sensor technology is gradually advancing. Market analysts estimate that more than 80 new patents have been granted for targeted applications, including automotive radar, lidar, biosensors, printed sensors and flexible sensors. Japan leads in this regard, accounting for three-quarters of the 16 largest patent recipient countries. The top five companies include Canon, Toyota, Panasonic and Toshiba. Samsung Electronics was the only non-Japanese company in the top five.

At the same time, edge sensors installed as nodes in IoT deployments are seen as reliable big data generators. Once the broadband, low-latency 5G network is launched, the sensor network will be even larger.
Including the city water network and sewage treatment plants will be covered by sensors. IDTechEx predicts that by 2030, the sensor market for water mains networks alone will exceed $3.5 billion.
In addition, wired water systems can generate vast amounts of new data. "Collecting water mains flow data allows companies to quickly identify areas where demand is increasing, thereby reducing pipeline stress," said a report released by IDTechEx in mid-August. "Utilities can link their usage data to current events. , and may use the data to predict crises before they occur.”
The pressure-measuring devices needed to enable predictive analytics in sensor technology include: flow meters, acoustic emission (or leaks), and temperature and chemical sensors. The latter can track metrics such as pH and trace metals.
In addition, municipal water management agencies can use the sensing technology that chip manufacturers currently use to monitor trace elements in water supplies.
IDTechEx noted that these sensor upgrades will enhance existing systems, such as smart water meters used to track water consumption.