There is an increasing demand for monitoring environmental air conditions both indoors and outdoors, as poor air quality is a growing threat to the public health. It has caused more deaths annually than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. Citizens are increasingly aware of this problem and are seeking low cost and user-friendly solutions to monitor the air condition. This rising need will lead to a market of more than $3 billion by 2028, which is analysed and forecasted by the recently updated IDTechEx Research report Environmental Gas Sensors 2018-2028.
In the Environmental Gas Sensors 2018-2028 report, IDTechEx has focused on six major emerging market segments:
• Automotive
• Smart devices
• Wearable devices
• Smart home
• Smart city
• Air purifiers
The automotive industry currently dominates the gas sensor market with the goal of automating air flow into the drivers’ compartment. Automotive industry will remain an essential segment for the gas sensor in the coming years. However, IDTechEx expects to see a large rise in sales towards the integration of gas sensors with mobile and wearable devices. These devices will allow consumers to monitor the air conditions dynamically and then encourage them to take appropriate action Instantaneously.
Gas sensors will also play a key role in Internet of Things (IoT) development and will be used extensively in households and cities connected with digital technologies. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, air purifiers, smart windows and other applications will employ sensors to improve the quality of life across the world. We expect a growing market for gas sensors in the smart homes and cities.
These new markets have emerged because new manufacturing methods are enabling the fabrication of smaller, lower power and more selective sensors. The sensor industry is at a tipping point, from expensive, bulky, high power instruments to cheap, small and low-power components.
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and screen printing techniques facilitate the miniaturisation of gas sensors, which is the key to integrate gas sensors into consumer electronics, such as mobile phones and wearable devices. We envision a rapid growth in applying MEMS to gas sensors and making them more accessible in our daily lives.
Technology Requirements of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Gas Sensors for Different Markets
|
Property |
Ideal for smart devices |
Ideal for wearable |
Traditional |
Miniaturised (MEMS) |
|
Detection gases |
Ideally selective |
VOC, NOx, CO |
VOC, NOX, NH3 |
CO, CO2, VOC, NOx, Cl, SO2, H2S |
|
Power Requirement |
<5 mW |
<5 mW |
15 mW |
<1mW |
|
Mass |
< 1 g |
< 1 g |
5 g |
~0.8 g |
|
Dimensions |
2 x 2 x 2 mm |
5 x 5 x 2 mm |
9 x 9 x 8 mm |
2 x 3 x 1 mm |
|
Response time |
< 20 seconds |
<20 seconds |
40 seconds |
< 5 seconds |
|
Operating life span |
> 2 years |
> 2 years |
2 years |
> 5 years |
Source: IDTechEx Research
This report lists the primary manufacturers of gas sensors and gives a SWOT analysis of ten relevant companies. We include a comprehensive study of current devices that rely on gas sensors for environmental monitoring. The report covers more than 40 profiles, gathered through primary research and interviews with the most transformative gas sensing companies across all the value chain.
This report gives an exhaustive view of the pivotal technologies that will be used in the next decade to monitor the air quality around the world. Ten-year forecasts across a range of market segments are provided with key trends and required technique throughout the session. IDTechEx predicts a significant rise in sales across several major segments, primarily in the mobile device and air purifier industries. Wearable devices will exhibit the fastest growth, with 40 times larger market in 2028 than now. As miniaturisation through MEMS becomes more available, gas sensors can reach their full potential, contributing to many new markets.
See www.IDTechEx.com/egs for more.