ForestHub Logo ForestHub Logo ForestHub Tools

Sensor → Use Case Explorer

Select your sensors — discover which ML use cases you can build.

Sensors

Select sensors to discover compatible ML use cases

How the Sensor Explorer Works

  1. Select your sensors — Pick from 9 sensor types: camera, microphone, IMU, accelerometer, temperature, vibration, current, gas, and humidity.
  2. Optionally filter by MCU — Narrow results by selecting a specific MCU family to see hardware-specific compatibility scores.
  3. Discover matching use cases — See which ML applications match your sensor setup, with full vs. partial match indicators and hardware requirements.

Know your hardware? Try the MCU Compatibility Checker or Board Checker instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sensors do I need for edge AI?
It depends on your use case. Vision tasks (object detection, image classification) need a camera. Audio tasks (keyword spotting, sound classification) need a microphone via I2S or ADC. Motion tasks (gesture recognition, fall detection) use IMU or accelerometer via I2C/SPI. Predictive maintenance typically uses vibration or current sensors.
Can I connect external sensors to any MCU?
Most sensors communicate via standard interfaces: I2C, SPI, or analog ADC. Nearly all edge-AI-capable MCUs support these interfaces. Camera sensors require specific peripheral support (DVP, DCMI, or USB) which is only available on select MCUs like ESP32-S3, STM32H7, or STM32F4.
How does sensor selection affect model requirements?
Different sensors produce different data volumes. Camera input requires the most RAM and processing power — 256 KB+ SRAM and 240+ MHz clock. Audio processing needs 64-128 KB. Accelerometer and temperature data are compact and can run on MCUs with as little as 32-64 KB SRAM.
What if I have sensors not listed here?
The 9 sensor types cover the most common edge AI inputs. Specialized sensors (radar, lidar, pressure) can often be mapped to similar categories. Radar is similar to camera for processing requirements, while pressure sensors behave like temperature sensors in terms of data volume.