Disclosed is a load cell having a frame that includes a first and a second mounting surface. Each mounting surface is arranged on a common horizontal plane symmetrically about a central vertical axis. First and second lateral surfaces are arranged perpendicular to the first and second mounting surfaces. One or more mounting fixtures are located on the load cell at the first and second mounting surfaces and configured to attach to a support structure or a loading fixture. One or more force sensors are arranged symmetrically about the central vertical axis. One or more cavities extend the width of the frame and are arranged between a mounting fixture and the force sensors to buffer horizontal shear forces.

According to one embodiment, a sensor includes a deformable film portion, and a first sensing element provided at the film portion. The first sensing element includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a first intermediate layer provided between the first and second magnetic layers. The first intermediate layer is nonmagnetic. The first magnetic layer includes a first film including Fe and Co, a second film including Fe and Co, a third film, and a fourth film. The third film includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Cu, Au, Ru, Ag, Pt, Pd, Ir, Rh, Re, and Os and is provided between the first and second films. The fourth film includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ba, La, Hf, Ta, and W and is provided between the third and second films.

A sensor includes a body member, a volume change body, and a detection member. The body member has a flat plate-like shape, a first end in a first direction being supported, and a storage space opening at at least one of both end faces in a thickness direction. The volume change body, whose volume changes depending on an amount of a target, is supported by the body member so that at least a part of the volume change body is stored in the storage space. The detection member is in contact with a second end in the first direction of the body member, and detects stress caused by the change in the volume of the volume change body.

An axial force measurement apparatus measuring an axial force of a bolt member by measuring a clamping force, of a nut member threaded onto the bolt member, which is applied to fasten a structure, includes: a sensor that applies vibration to the structure through one side of the tightened nut member and obtains, on an opposite side of the nut member, a signal by the vibration that propagates through the structure and passes through the nut member; and an analyzer that analyzes the signal received from the sensor and determines the axial force of the bolt member using a difference in propagation velocity of the signal by the vibration according to the clamping force of the nut member.

A method for determining sensor parameters of an actively-driven sensor system may include obtaining as few as three samples of a measured physical quantity versus frequency for the actively-driven sensor system, performing a refinement operation to provide a refined version of the sensor parameters based on the as few as three samples and based on a linear model of an asymmetry between slopes of the measured physical quantity versus frequency between pairs of the as few as three samples, iteratively repeating the refinement operation until the difference between successive refined versions of the sensor parameters is below a defined threshold, and outputting the refined sensor parameters as updated sensor parameters for the actively-driven sensor system.

Systems and methods for assessing strain in structural components are disclosed. Structural component may have geometric patterns of grooves, with the grooves in the geometric pattern each having a groove width. The method may include illuminating the geometric pattern of grooves with a first light at a first wavelength that corresponds to the groove width to create diffraction when the first light hits the geometric pattern of grooves and corresponding changes in the wavelength of the light reflected from the geometric pattern of grooves indicating changes in the groove widths due to strain caused when the structural component is exposed to environmental conditions, detecting the wavelength of the light reflected from the geometric pattern of grooves, and correlating the detected wavelength of the light reflected from the geometric pattern of grooves to the strain in the structural components.

Hinge between a support and a movable part in an out-of-plane direction of a microelectromechanical structure, the hinge comprising two torsion beams, two bending elements connecting the movable part and the support and each comprising two beams extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation each beam being connected to the support by a first end and to the movable part by a second end, the first ends and the second ends of the beams being disposed with respect to one another in such a way that the orientation of the first end towards the second end of one beam is opposed to the orientation of the first end towards the second end of the other beam.

A system for performing force sensing with an electromagnetic load may include a signal generator configured to generate a signal for driving an electromagnetic load and a processing subsystem configured to monitor at least one operating parameter of the electromagnetic load and determine a force applied to the electromagnetic load based on a variation of the at least one operating parameter.

Provided are a resonator, a method of manufacturing the resonator, and a strain sensor and a sensor array including the resonator. The resonator is provided to extend in a lengthwise direction from a support. The resonator includes a single crystal material and is provided to extend in a crystal orientation that satisfies at least one from among a Young's modulus and a Poisson's ratio, from among crystal orientations of the single crystal material.

An apparatus for sensing an elastic deformation of a hollow element, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one sensor that is arranged in a watertight capsule which is connected in a watertight manner to a connector device comprising at least one watertight electrical connector that is electrically connected to the at least one sensor, the at least one watertight electrical connector forming a first waterproof barrier of the connector device between an outside of the watertight capsule and the at least one sensor, and wherein the connector device comprises at least one further waterproof barrier that is formed between the first waterproof barrier and the at least one sensor.