Technology

This Cracker-Size Sensor Can Tell You Which Oven Burner You Left On

Carnegie Mellon researchers are working to better automate facilities management.

The sensor detects a blow dryer.

Source: Gierad Laput

A cracker-size device combines nine sensors and a processor to detect events such as appliances turning on and off in a room. The information can then be fed to an online dashboard or sent as alerts to facilities managers.

The CMU sensor, plugged into a wall, processes temperature, vibration, sound, humidity, electromagnetic interference, and other data.