Sensorology
Sensorology allows users to view and interact with the various sensors on their device, utilizing GraphView to display the sensor data in real-time.
13 Major Sensors Are Implemented
| Sensor | Type | Description | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Accelerometer | Software or Hardware | Measures the acceleration force in m/s2 that is applied to a device on all three physical axes (x, y, and z), excluding the force of gravity. | Monitoring acceleration along a single axis. |
| Gravity | Software of Hardware | Measures the force of gravity in m/s2 that is applied to a device on all three physical axes (x, y, z). | Motion detection (shake, tilt, etc.). |
| Gyroscope | Hardware | Measures a device’s rate of rotation in rad/s around each of the three physical axes (x, y, and z). | Rotation detection (spin, turn, etc.). |
| Rotation Vector | Software or Hardware | Measures the orientation of a device by providing the three elements of the device’s rotation vector. | Motion detection and rotation detection. |
| Step Detector | Software or Hardware | Returns 1 when step is detected | For Healthcare apps like step counting. |
| Magnetic Field | Hardware | Measures the ambient geomagnetic field for all three physical axes (x, y, z) in μT. | Creating a compass. |
| Air Pressure | Hardware | Measures the ambient air pressure in hPa or mbar. | Monitoring air pressure changes. |
| Proximity | Hardware | Measures the proximity of an object in cm relative to the view screen of a device. This sensor is typically used to determine whether a handset is being held up to a person’s ear. | Phone position during a call. |
| Relative Humidity | Hardware | Measures the relative ambient humidity in percent (%). | Monitoring dewpoint, absolute, and relative humidity. |
| Device Temperature | Hardware | Measures the temperature of the device in degrees Celsius (°C). This sensor implementation varies across devices and this sensor was replaced with the TYPE_AMBIENT_TEMPERATURE sensor in API Level 14 | Monitoring temperatures. |
| Light | Hardware | Measures the ambient light level (illumination) in lx. | Controlling screen brightness. |
| Ambient Temperature | Hardware | Measures the ambient room temperature in degrees Celsius (°C). See note below. | Monitoring air temperatures. |
| Orientation | Software | Measures degrees of rotation that a device makes around all three physical axes (x, y, z). As of API level 3 you can obtain the inclination matrix and rotation matrix for a device by using the gravity sensor and the geomagnetic field sensor in conjunction with the getRotationMatrix() method. | Determining device position. |
Contributors
Thanks goes to these wonderful people:
 Shoaib Kakal |
