This document summarizes several activities from a workshop on smart sensors: 1) Students tested how motion detectors work and found they detect changes in infrared radiation. 2) They explored different sensors and their stimuli/responses. 3) They made microphones using flexible and rigid PVDF films and found flexible films more sensitive. 4) They learned how PVDF polymers produce voltage from bending or heat. 5) Experiments showed greater mass or drop height on PVDF produced higher voltages. 6) For their final project, students proposed a smart self-cleaning water tank using sensors to check purity.

1. AL-Bairaq
I am Discovering Materials
"Smart Sensors Module"
Alkhor secondary independent school for girls
Diamond Group
Hagar Mohamed Mariam Mahmoud
Taif Alnasr Salma Mohsen

2. • Introduction
• Activity 1: Evading Motion Detection.
• Activity 2: Taking a Tour of Some Sensors.
• Activity 3: Making a Microphone.
• Activity 4: Exploring the Piezo Effect: The Inside Story.
• Activity 5: Measuring Piezoelectric or Pyroelectric Response.
• Design Project: Designing a Coin Counter.
• Final Project: Smart Tank.

3. Introduction
Smart Sensors:
Definition: A smart sensor is a device that takes input from the physical
environment and uses built-in compute resources to perform predefined functions
upon detection of specific input and then process data before passing it on.

4. Activity 1: Evading Motion
Detection
trying to evade a motion detector sensor Procedure:
• We tried evading the motion detector
Predicting it’s range
we tried to walk really slow
And fast.
-Results:
Range reach up to 30 feet
Range area in conical shape
We tried to find the stimulus of the motion detector by
passing ice and boiling water in front of it.
The result:
The stimulus of the motion detector is the change in infrared
radiation.

5. Activity 2: Taking a Tour of Some Sensors
Procedure:
• four smart sensor systems were
given to us
• we were asked to find the stimulus
and the response.
Conclusion:
A sensor is a physical system that
responds by creating a useful response
ResponseStimulus
MovementSound
Sound , MovementSound
SoundSound , pressure
SoundOpining the card
Results:

6. Procedure:
• This activity required making a table as
well but with two different kinds of PVDF
• we made a microphone using:
(balloon-flexible and rigid PVDF-
Amplifier)
Act. 3: Making a Microphone
Rigid FilmFlexible FilmType of
PVDF
Effect
Loud VoiceFrom Low to Medium
Voice
Free FilmFlick
Loud VoiceMedium VoiceAttached to
Substrate
Not Clear and Low VoiceClear and Loud VoiceFree FilmScratch
Unclear and Low VoiceLoud VoiceAttached to
Substrate
Unclear VoiceClear VoiceFree FilmBlow
Unclear VoiceClear VoiceAttached to
Substrate
Unclear VoiceClear VoiceFree FilmTalk
Unclear and Low VoiceClear VoiceAttached to
Substrate
Results:
Conclusion:
After testing them out, we found out that
the flexible PVDF is more sensitive.

7. Act. 4: Exploring the Piezo Effect: The Inside Story
Part (A): building the PVDF monomer.
- Chemical position of the polymer (PVDF) is C2F2H2.
Part (B): building the PVDF polymer.
- PVDF is a Polymer And its Monomer is C2F2H2.
Part (C): seeing the structure at work.
- Bending the PVDF in one direction produces a positive voltage and a bend in the opposite direction
produces a negative voltage.
- The faster the bending the larger the potential.

8. - We used a hair dryer to test the
pyroelectricity of the PVDF.
- We noticed how heat can cause the
PVDF film to produce voltage.
Act. 5: Measuring Piezoelectric or Pyroelectric Response
- We Drop an iron ball on the PVDF and We got the voltage.
- We used different sizes of balls to test the piezoelectricity of the PVDF.
Fixed The Height (10cm) and Different Masses
Average
Voltage
Voltage
3
Voltage
2
Voltage
1
Weight
-0.426-0.31-0.45-0.52Large
6.60.200.09-0.27Medium
0.1930.280.170.13Small
Fixed Mass (Big Ball) and Different Height
Average
Voltage
Voltage
3
Voltage
2
Voltage
1
Height
-0.97-0.42-0.31-0.5210 cm
-0.416-0.42-0.45-0.385 cm
Part (A):
Results:
Part (B):
conclusion:
- The bigger ball response bigger voltage.
- The greater the drop height, the greater the voltage.
- Using a substrate will given a higher voltage than the free film

9. Average
Voltage
Voltage 3Voltage 2Voltage 1MassCoin
0.360.310.350.359 g1
0.260.240.280.315 g2
0.250.240.240.282 g3
0.25 0.26
0.36
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
2 5 9
VOLTAGE
MASS
Results: Conclusion:
We Discovered that the
bigger mass of the coin
gives us the bigger
voltage.
Unknown MassVoltage
6.45 g0.3
Design Project: Designing a Coin Counter
•At this activity we had two
tasks to do
• Drop three coins on the
PVDF then make a table for
the mass and the voltage
•After that we dropped the
coins in the same height for
three times on the PVDF
Procedure:

10. Final Project: Smart self cleaning tank
Our product is a smart self cleaning tank where water
purity is checked periodically without the need of
workers to check it and clean it. To assure all people are
using a healthy clean water

11. Smart self cleaning
tank Hypothesis
We assumed using a sensor to sense the purity of water, and
send a signal that makes a tank clean itself will solve the
problem of using contaminated water and also there will be no
need workers to clean anymore.

12. Smart self cleaning tank
Materials and Methods
-We will add a turbidity sensor to the bottom right of the tank, and a light source to the bottom left of the tank opposite to
the sensor.
-The turbidity sensors measures the amount of light that is scattered by the suspended solids in water. The sensor will be
programmed so that when the voltage produced reaches a certain level which means the water is not pure the following
will happen:
the water in tank will be disposed out.
-The water source to fill the tank again will be closed.
-Pressure water hoses fixed on the top of tank will start cleaning the tank
for half an hour. (timer is set again)
-Since our product needs electricity, and no need to check the water purity everyday, our sensor will work once a month
for an hour only. This will be achieved by placing a timer.
Light
source
Water in
Tank
Turbidity
Sensors
Light Scattered

13. Smart self cleaning tank
benefits
1- Assures that all people are using clean water.
2- No need to check the tank by workers.

14. Recommendations
We recommend that the ministry of municipality and
environment to sponsor our idea and apply in all
water tanks in Qatar.

15. Acknowledgment
Many thanks to my teachers, school, AL-Bairaq team from Center for Advanced
Materials (CAM), Qatar University for supporting us during our journey with a
AL-Bairaq.
Also, I would like to thank the sponsors UNESCO, Qatar National Commission,
Ras Gas and Shell.