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Systems Engineering Portfolio
 Environmental Sensors for Military
and Consumer Goods
Freshness
and Supplies Monitoring
Environmental sensors offer a low-cost solution
for monitoring freshness and product exposure. This technology
requires no power and was designed for markets where freshness
is key to suppliers, consumers, and military personnel. By measuring
the temperature range to which a product is exposed, the sensors
allow immediate and accurate feedback for judging the freshness
of the product.
Whether providing supply-chain accountability between
growers, shippers, and grocers or offering consumers confidence
in the product they are buying or using, environmental sensors
can track cumulative exposure and provide vital information as
to whether a product is fresh or has crossed into the temperature
range that promotes bacterial growth, degradation, or spoilage.
  Environmental sensors can be tailored to measure
appropriate exposure levels for multiple products and systems:
• Frozen foods
• Meats
• Fruits
• Medicines |
• Ammunition
• Ordnance
• Energetic materials
• Electronics |
Prolonged exposure to heat accelerates the aging
process and reduces the shelf life of many consumer products and
the service life of many military supplies. Tracking the temperature
exposure over a period of days, weeks, or years provides essential
information about the product and peace of mind in the product’s
freshness or the system's reliability.
Applications
Environmental sensors are available in two versions:
visual sensors and radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors.
 Visual
sensors:
• Inexpensive
• Easily integrated into packaging
• Appropriate for visual inspection
RFID sensors:
• Can be embedded
• Useful for scanning large-scale stores
(hundreds or
thousands at a time)
• Useful for tracking exposure of loads
during and
after shipping
• Useful for scanning warehouse storage
With the benefit of a 20-year lifespan, environmental
sensors offer long-term exposure tracking. The technology can
be tailored to measure a wide range of temperatures from -30°C
to 240°C (-22°F to 464°F). Sensors can be designed
to fit the product and the specific need for monitoring thermal
exposure.
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