From Signal to Significance: Why Sensors Need Culture

Is it time for the sensor community to reconsider how we define success? Traditionally, sensors, including chemical and biochemical sensors, have been evaluated by precision, stability, selectivity, sensitivity, and response time. However, even the most accurate sensor can fail if users do not understand or trust it. As sensors become more common in healthcare, climate monitoring, and everyday devices, public acceptance and perception have become as critical as technical performance. Questions of trust, usability, and cultural meaning are often raised in social or behavioral science journals, but they deserve attention within the core sensor research community itself. This Perspective argues that collaborations with artists, designers, communities, and the public can help create sensors that are not only functional but also meaningful and trustworthy. Through case studies drawn from interactive art, design, citizen science, and community-focused initiatives, it explores how participatory and cultural approaches can enhance the credibility of sensors and facilitate their adoption. This piece encourages the sensor research community to reflect on how sensors are experienced and to consider whether the future of sensing relies as much on trust and communication as it does on technical performance. It concludes with a set of practical principles for researchers calling for a broader definition of success in sensing that balances accuracy with trust and usability.