Scientists have developed a small near-infrared sensor: inexpensive to manufacture and widely used in agricultural production

Recently, a team of researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology has developed a new near-infrared sensor. The sensor is easy to manufacture, is comparable in size to a sensor in a smartphone, and can be used to monitor production processes such as agriculture and industry.

The human eye is a great "sensor." It uses three photosensitive cells to convert visible light into signals of different colors. In this way, the eyes provide basic information about the world around us. However, the human eye is by no means the most advanced natural light sensor. As a great invention, the NIR spectrometer was crucial to agricultural production. However, such tools on the market tend to be oversized, inconvenient to use, and very expensive.

In the new study, Dr. Kaylee Hakkel and her colleagues developed a small near-infrared sensor. Like the eyes of a mantis shrimp, it has 16 different sensors, all sensitive to near-infrared light. They designed a new wafer-level manufacturing process that reduces the size of the sensor while keeping costs low.

The researchers tested the sensor's performance in a series of experiments. They say the use of tiny sensors provides the same accuracy as traditional spectrometers in predicting the amount of fat in milk. Moreover, these measurements can also be used to monitor the overall health of the cows.

The researchers believe that such sensors will be common even in smartphones of the future, meaning that people can detect food quality at home.

The research paper, entitled "Integrated near-infrared spectral sensing," has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

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