Many industries owe their success not only to people but also to pieces of equipment that help run their businesses seamlessly, conveniently, and even cheaply. One of these is humidity sensors.

What Are Humidity Sensors? 

One can only truly appreciate the role humidity sensors play when they know what it is and how it works. This is a nifty device, often a part of a unit, that measures humidity levels. Humidity refers to the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air. 

While some sensors determine absolute humidity, most also account for humidity with the ambient or surrounding temperature (relative humidity). For this reason, a typical sensor also includes a component that measures temperature. 

With these in mind, humidity sensors are ideal or even necessary in the following industries:

1. Healthcare 

Healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, as more people age longer and the spending goes up. According to an official government data published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the average spending per person in the United States already reached over $11,500 in 2019. The overall total is one of the highest in the world at $3.8 trillion.  That’s a whopping 30-fold increase since the 1970s. 

But quality healthcare also matters, and this is where humidity-oriented units are helpful. For example, studies have shown that humidity levels can affect immunity. 

In the 2019 mice research in Nature Immunology, symptoms for viral infections seemed to get worse in low-humidity conditions. Furthermore, experts also share that maintaining a room between 40% and 60% relative humidity may prevent the spread of airborne microorganisms by allowing them to disappear faster and retain their size. 

2. Pharmaceutical  

Along with the higher demand for healthcare is the massive growth of the pharmaceutical industry. The Grandview Research forecasts that the possible compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will reach almost 14% until 2027. By the end of the period, the market value will be over $900 billion. 

How do humidity sensors fit into its success? Many medications require an ideal temperature and moisture levels to maintain their effectiveness and safety. Otherwise, excessively low or high levels of humidity can increase the risk of spoilage and contaminate the drugs, including vaccines. 

Creating a drug takes not only a huge capital but also plenty of time. A pharmaceutical company dedicates at least 5 to 10 years to produce medication, and not all find their way into the market. Managing every aspect of its production and storage goes a long way in minimizing overhead costs.

3. Agriculture

Food insecurity is a growing societal issue. Data from the US Department of Agriculture shared that at least 35 million lived in food-insecure homes in 2019. About 9 million, meanwhile, experienced poor food access during the same period. 

For this reason, there’s a need to boost the agricultural sector. But factors like climate change, changes in the quality of soil, and developments in the industry impact how this field works now. For instance, more farmers are using greenhouses to effectively monitor the growth of crops or plants. 

These greenhouses would need humidity sensors to maintain the right temperature and moisture in the enclosure. Often, plants are prone to bacteria and molds when humidity is low. Some, however, are sensitive to high humidity that may stun their growth.

Humidity sensors are low-cost devices that can make wonders on the growth and achievements of some of the most critical industries around the world.