Architectural Patterns and Techniques for Developing IoT Solutions

9

Sensor and Actuator Selection Guidelines

Sensors and actuators constitute a critical part of any IoT system. As was mentioned at the start of this book, sensors are akin to human body parts of perception (eyes, ears, touch, and so on), whereas actuators can be compared to human parts of action (hands and legs). Through sensors and actuators, the IoT system interacts with the physical realm, and it is the ability of the IoT system to effectively blend physical (data acquisition and action) and virtual (processing) worlds that make IoT systems so unique and powerful.

In this chapter, we will understand the different types of sensors and actuators (the intent here is not to provide an exhaustive list of sensors and actuators but a representative ...