Smartphone sensors locate your phone in time and space. Working together, several sensors can paint a fairly complete picture of your daily activity, with implications for your privacy.

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 Watch

Link to this Scientific American video: What Sensors Are in a Smartphone?

Glossary

• proximity – nearness in space, time, or relationship
  
• to track sth/sb – follow the trail or movements of (someone or something), typically in order to find them or note their course
  
• acceleration – increase in speed or rate/a vehicle’s capacity to gain speed
  
• tilt – a sloping position or movement
  
• altitude – the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level
  
• to eavesdrop on sth/sb – secretly listen to a conversation
  
• to hint at sth – something that you say or do that shows what you think or want, usually in a way that is not direct/to refer to something; to insinuate something
• to pick up on sth – to notice something that is not very obvious, to understand something that is not communicated directly
  

Watch and listen

Answer the questions below.

• What are the most common types of sensors and what do they do? (00:05)
  
• What can some built-in software packages do? (01:07)
• What can sensors do when they work together? (01:30)
• What do researchers suggest you should do? (01:50)

Practice Makes Perfect

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Go to AdTile to find out more.

Smartphones 1.________ (go) through an incredible evolution in the last decade. We 2.________ (move) to an era where our smartphones are becoming more like personal assistants, monitoring our behavior, tracking our movements and anticipating our needs. A large part of this evolution 3.________ (enable) by sensor technology.

Sensors 4.________(bring) intelligence and awareness to our smartphones. Today’s mobile devices 5.________ (pack) with nearly 14 sensors that produce raw data on motion, location and the environment around us. This is made possible by the use of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). MEMS are mechanical systems 6.________ (build) into tiny semiconductor chips.

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Sensors raise the consciousness of our smartphones. With mobile sensors becoming smaller and more sophisticated—and new types of sensors 7.______ (come) onto market—what we’re seeing today is only the beginning in the era of self-aware devices. More is waiting around the corner.

Answers:

1. HAVE GONE 2. ARE MOVING 3. IS ENABLED 4. BRING 5. ARE PACKED 6. BUILT 7. COMING

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Explore it more

Go to this Science News article to find out more.

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