Fibre optic sensors: a review of today's applications

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review the applications of commercially available fibre optic sensors (FOSs) and consider the reasons for their use. Design/methodology/approach - Following a short introduction, the paper discusses the applications of FOSs for physical variables, gases and chemical compounds and identifies the reasons for their use. Findings - It is shown that, following over three decades of research, FOSs are employed in many physical sensing uses where particular, application-specific features confer significant user benefits. They are employed to a far lesser extent to monitor gases and chemical compounds, where the intrinsic features of the technology are of less benefit. Originality/value - This paper provides an account of the applications of FOSs that have emerged since their development in the 1970s.