The Global Market for Surfing is Projected to Reach US$9.5 Billion by 2022

The global market for Acoustic Wave Sensor is projected to reach US$835.9 million by 2025 driven by emerging new applications among which the automotive industry stands out as having the biggest revenue impact. Opportunities for acoustic wave sensor are expanding in tandem with the growing importance of automotive sensing. Currently, torque and tire pressure sensors utilize surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors. Their use has grown significantly over the years, supported by falling sensor costs. As these sensors can be manufactured with repeatable quality, they are mass produced and enjoy economies of scale responsible for their lower cost of production. SAW sensors are effective in measuring angular velocities and therefore find use in monitoring rotating components in an automobile. Another emerging application area is in the field of autonomous vehicles. For autonomous cars to become safe and evolve from semi-autonomous cars to level 4 and 5 vehicles, requires accurate and foolproof detection and localization of objects. Sound waves are emerging into the spotlight for their ability to help the vehicles sense its surroundings. In other words, acoustic signal source location is the most foolproof way to detect approaching vehicles and objects. Although, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors have been used, the technology has its fair share of drawbacks ranging from high costs, inability to scan long distances to limitations in identifying color changes. Acoustic wave sensors, on the other hand, have a much higher reliability and safety index, as they rely on modulation of surface acoustic waves to sense objects and surroundings. Over the long-term, these sensors will play a pivotal role in direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation in autonomous vehicles. Currently, however they hold the potential to be used as a redundant system along with LiDAR systems to provide additional safety. With sensor fusion being the new flavor, accurate sound source localization will involve combining data from Lidar sensors and multiple acoustic sensors. Development of new noise cancelling and filtering processes and technologies will enhance reliable of sound location, given that vehicles often operate in cluttered and noisy environments.  Read More…