Spectrometers in Consumer Goods

“The Ever-Shrinking Optical Spectrometer Enhances Consumer Goods”. This is an ‘Industry Insight column in the July 2022 Photonics Spectra.

We are about to see the next step in portable spectroscopy, as optical spectrometers and multispectral sensors appear in consumer goods, all the way from washing machines and vacuum cleaners to smoke detectors, ‘wearables’ like sports watches, and into smartphones.  These may not be immediately obvious to the customer, but they will deliver intelligence to the product itself to optimize its operation, or to the customer informing them of their health. Spectroscopy is becoming pervasive.