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Highlights lessons which can be learned about residential carbon monoxide detectors. States that four types of sensor technology can be applied and points out the drawbacks of three of these. Describes the fourth technology, used in SEMDEC sensors, and discusses tests carried out.

Reviews the Transducers 2001/EUROSENSORS XV conferences that were held in Munich, 10‐14 June 2001. Microengineering figured prominently in the programme, almost half the sessions covering aspects of this subject, including power generation, packaging and wafer bonding, physical effects, machining and etching (also for high aspect ratio), micro‐thrusters, ‐jets, ‐pumps, ‐valves, ‐fluidics, ‐probes, optical 3D and RF MEMS, resonators, polymer based microsystems and commercialisation. Explicit sensor sessions included materials for gas sensing, chemical and gas sensors, biomedical systems, electrochemical sensors, inertial sensors, magnetic sensors, image, flow and thermal sensors. There were two sessions on actuators. Nano‐devices (physical in character) were covered in one session, though nanotechnology as such did not figure in the proceedings.

There is increasing concern about the quality of the air breathed by passengers in the cabins of various different forms of transport. In the case of motor vehicles, the concentration of air pollutants in passenger cabins, particularly in the urban environment, is significantly higher (by two to three times) than the nominal value outside the cabin. Aircraft draw in fresh air from outside the cabin. On the ground the same concentration mechanism as motor vehicles applies. At altitude the major problem is the relatively high concentration of ozone. In cruise liners the problem is analogous to large hotels and casinos: efficient air‐conditioning requires re‐circulation of the air and pollutant concentrations build up over time. Strategies are being developed to mitigate these effects, and for optimal operation most require the use of low cost gas sensors for monitoring and/or control. This article describes what can be achieved with mixed‐metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors.

Peter McGeehin of Compton Consultants explains the trends taking place.

Introduction Optical sensors, and especially fibre optic sensors, offer some significant technical advantages over conventional electronic sensors. These technical advantages have been perceived to be sufficiently significant to have stimulated a large amount of research activity in the UK and elsewhere. Much of the original research has been carried out in universities and polytechnics, but there has also been considerable corporate R&D activity aimed at developing commercial products and systems. The results of much of this corporate work have not been published, except in the form of patents. Patents therefore provide a useful literature which, though of considerable interest to companies, is difficult to analyse and assimilate. For this reason, the DTI Advanced Sensors Technology Transfer Programme commissioned a study of recent optical sensor patents. The aim was to classify and analyse the patents, and to present the findings in a manner which a small or medium size instrumentation company could readily digest.

Four well‐established, successful and expanding UK sensors firms, and six small but ambitious ones (the latter all recipients of DTI SMART Awards), feature in case studies undertaken with the support of the DTI Advanced Sensors Technology Transfer Programme. These studies have two objectives: to pick out some real UK successes, and to encourage the present generation of sensors researchers to consider establishing a new firm around their work. The first four case studies were described in Sensor Review, Vol. 12 No. 3.

Four well established, successful and expanding UK sensors firms, and six small but ambitious ones (the latter all recipients of DTI SMART Awards) feature in case studies undertaken with support of the DTI Advanced Sensors Technology Transfer Programme. These studies have two objectives: to pick out some real UK successes, and to encourage the present generation of sensors researchers to consider establishing a new firm around their work. The first four case studies described below cover the following established and expanding firms:

Optical sensor companies in the UK are getting together to organise their own research and development.

Summarises the report of a Sensors Task Force which was formed as part of the UK Technology Foresight exercise. Examines the various markets for sensor technology, both globally and in the UK. Details the opportunities and challenges, market pull factors, and the most promising technologies and application areas.

Death of Mr. Henri‐Georges Marescot. Air France regret to announce the recent death after a long illness of Mr. Henri‐Georges Marescot, Deputy Director General of Air France and Presidert of Meridien Hotels.