They both form very important constituents of any machinery. They combine to provide all the important info required for the machine to function. But there is a significant difference between Sensor and Actuator. Although they both are present in electrical, mechanical, or other devices- they are opposite in terms of their functionalities.
The main difference is that the sensors pick physical gestures from their environment and convert them into electrical signals- while actuators pick the system’s electrical signals to convert them into physical gestures (heat, sound, electricity, etc.).
In this article, we will discuss the difference between Sensor and Actuator. But before we do that, let us know a bit more about each of these.
What is a Sensor?
Sensors are devices that we use to convert any physical characteristics or events into electric signals. In simple words, a sensor is a hardware device. It collects data input from its environment, converts it into electrical signals, and then gives it to the device/system.
For instance, thermometers take our body temperatures in the form of physical characteristics, convert the temperatures into electrical signals, and convey them to their systems. Tilt sensors, Temperature sensors, Accelerometers, Ultrasonic sensors, etc., are a few types of sensors.
What is an Actuator?
An actuator is just opposite to a sensor. It converts an electric signal to a characteristic or a physical event. In simple words, an actuator would receive inputs from any system in the form of electrical signals and then generate an output for its environment.
For instance, heaters, comb drives, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, and electric motors are some of the common actuators you can find around you.
Difference between Sensor and Actuator
Let us talk about the differences between Sensor and Actuator.
| Parameters | Sensor | Actuator |
| Basics | Sensors convert the physical characteristics from their environment to electrical signals for the system. | Actuators convert the electrical signals from the system to various physical characteristics for their environments. |
| Source of Input | Sensors receive input from their environments. | Actuators receive input from a system’s output conditioning unit. |
| Output Generation | Sensors generate output for a system’s input conditioning unit. | These generate output for their environment. |
| Type of Output | Electrical signals are generated as output by sensors. | Motion or heat is generated as output by actuators. |
| Placement | Sensors are placed at a system’s input port. | Actuators are placed at a system’s output port. |
| Examples | For instance, thermometers take our body temperatures in the form of physical characteristics, convert the temperatures into electrical signals, and convey them to their systems. Photo-voltaic cells, Tilt sensors, Temperature sensors, Accelerometers, Ultrasonic sensors, etc., are a few types of sensors. | For instance, heaters, comb drives, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, and electric motors are some of the common actuators you can find around you. |
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