Window sensors are nothing new. Since long, they have been employed on windows to detect any intrusion. However, conventionally, such sensors come with cables. And that essentially means one could cut the cables or somehow mess with them to compromise the security provided by such sensors.
The new wireless window sensors, which have been developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, quite effectively thwart such problems. As the name suggests, these window sensors are free from the hassle of any cables. Moreover, they are tiny in size and virtually undetectable.
The equipment for these sensors comprises of a magnet which can be placed neatly at the bottom of the window. It comes embedded with a tiny 3D sensor which can discern not only the position of the magnet but also its angle. This way, the sensor can detect even when the window is slightly open.
To juice up the sensor, there’s a small thermoelectric generator that is also embedded into the window frame. A solar cell gathers energy from the sun and directs it towards the generator which, in turns, keeps the power up.
These sensors, placed on different windows, can communicate with each other and share data with the help of nodal RF system. For now, only proof-of-concept prototypes have been built but researchers see numerous security applications for them in the future.
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