Prolific Demand for Multifunctional and Intuitive Devices Invigorates Uptake of Sensors in the Consumer Electronics Segment, Finds Frost & Sullivan

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The rising demand for multifunctional personal electronics devices and intuitive applications has revved up the demand levels for sensors. Large-scale deployment of sensors is being witnessed in mobile devices, media players, game consoles, and cameras. New opportunities are unfolding for innovative applications, including gesture recognition, motion sensing, location sensing, and fingerprint biometrics.

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Gesture-based interfaces have triggered a surge in applications in the mobile gaming and personal devices sectors and are set to change the way user interfaces are designed. These interfaces are likely to transform mass advertising solutions in the retail business.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.technicalinsights.frost.com), Opportunities for Sensors in Consumer Electronics, finds that the demand for complex scenarios that provide intuitive gaming experiences is on the rise, and the industry is cashing in on this market. The availability of 3D depth sensors and state-of-the-art accelerometers and gyroscopes is ensuring that the money is flowing into the industry.

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"In the depth and motion sensing field, the primary factor stimulating development is the existence of competition among developers of consumer devices such as television, game consoles, and mobile phones," notes Technical Insights Research Analyst Sharmishta S. "Manufacturers vie for the consumer's attention by offering improved user interfaces, features that contribute to new and innovative applications, and lower device cost."

Location data from all possible inputs, such as cars, buses, taxis, mobile phones, cameras, and personal navigation devices that are network-connected with positioning technologies, including ground positioning system (GPS), wireless fidelity (WiFi), and cell tower triangulation, provides an ocean of information. Making sense of this data is especially becoming useful to consumers and businesses that utilize location-enabled devices for services, locating friends and family, navigating, asset- and pet-tracking, dispatching, sports, games, and hobbies.

Although the outlook for the market is upbeat, some challenges are restraining market progression. Privacy issues have emerged as a critical concern in location-based sensing. Considering the massive amount of personal information available online, the risk of susceptibility to crimes such as stolen identity is greatly amplified.

"Making content put on the Internet completely anonymous is a very difficult task; therefore, location-sensing applications would need to address the extent and ease with which personal information can be accessed," says Sharmishta. "Creating awareness and educating consumers on the trail of information left online is a possible means of reducing the level of personal information that users share."

Dealing with these complexities would necessitate further research in the desired application areas. Standardization with regard to sensors would take longer as the applications are wide and varied, and the onus is on the end user to facilitate such processes. Advances in nanosensors can be used to develop portable lab-on-foil and lab-on-chip, along with developments in printing technologies. These low-cost, miniature sensors can be developed for quick chemical and threat detection in mobile, portable personal electronics.

Going forward, several technologies are poised to shape the consumer electronics space in the near future. Accelerometers and gyroscopes have conventionally been the forte of the automotive and aviation industries; however, the uptake of these sensors is likely to pick up steam in the consumer electronics space. Gyroscope manufacturers would be wise to target the high-volume cell phone market. Gyroscopes can open up new applications and interfaces with mobile phones, and if successful, a significant drop in unit cost owing to economies of scale will result.

In the long term, the convergence of various types of sensor technologies will pave the way for more comprehensive solutions that ensure optimized end-user experiences socially.

Opportunities for Sensors in Consumer Electronics, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides an insight into the recent advances in the field of sensors for consumer electronics along with the emerging application areas for the same. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan