It is a little recognised fact, but part of the reason why we are more secure today than ever before is the tremendous advances that we’ve seen in the area of sensors. A century ago, our ability to sense pretty much anything was limited in both scope and precision, and as the technology has advanced, so too has our ability to defend ourselves from a host of threats.

Today, sensors are used to detect everything from the flow of electricity to the scent given off by certain explosive ordnance. Detecting the flow of electricity has literally saved thousands of lives since it became possible, as with that we’ve been able to prevent the overloading of property’s electrical systems, helping to reduce the risk of electrical fires. Being able to detect explosives through a variety of means has enabled us to continue to fly in the skies despite the volatility the activity presents to us.

A big part of the improvement that we’ve seen in the realm of sensor technology is our ability to analyse images. Our police force uses this to create facial pattern recognition software to track and identify wanted criminals. We also use them for other purposes, such as finger-print recognition and iris recognition. Most of our ability to sense these is down to software, but some of it has required advancements in our hardware’s capabilities.