---
tags:
  - sensors
  - instrumentation
  - transducers
created: 2026-05-16
breadcrumb: "Sensors > Generic sensor map > Sensors by physical modality"
---

# Sensors by physical modality

> **Mechanism:** Which transducer for which physical quantity

## Items

- **Temperature** — Thermistor · RTD · thermocouple · IR pyrometer · semiconductor (LM35, TMP117).
- **Pressure** — Piezoresistive bridge · capacitive diaphragm · piezoelectric · MEMS.
- **Flow** — Differential pressure (orifice / venturi) · turbine · ultrasonic · thermal mass flow · Coriolis.
- **Position** — Encoder (optical / magnetic) · LVDT · potentiometer · capacitive · Hall-effect.
- **Motion** — Accelerometer (MEMS) · gyroscope (MEMS / FOG) · magnetometer · IMU.
- **Light** — Photodiode · CCD · CMOS · LDR · phototransistor · PMT.
- **Magnetic field** — Hall-effect · fluxgate · SQUID · magnetoresistive (AMR / GMR / TMR).
- **Chemical** — pH electrode · ion-selective electrode · electrochemical gas · MOS / e-nose.
- **Humidity** — Capacitive polymer film · resistive · psychrometer.
- **Sound** — Condenser microphone · MEMS mic · piezo · hydrophone · geophone.
- **Radiation** — Geiger–Müller · scintillator + PMT · semiconductor (CZT, HPGe).
- **Distance** — Ultrasonic · LIDAR · ToF camera · stereo vision · radar.
- **Vibration** — Accelerometer · velocity transducer · proximity probe.
- **Strain** — Foil strain gauge · semiconductor gauge · fibre Bragg grating.
- **Gas concentration** — NDIR (CO₂) · electrochemical (CO, O₂) · MOS · catalytic bead · PID.

## Related

- [[visible-light]]
- [[infrared]]
- [[acceleration]]