Microphones or sound sensors are the devices that sense the changes in the sounds in its surroundings and then produces an output in the required form accordingly. The output could be in the digitized form. The sound is sensed by the sensor using various techniques, such as whenever there is a change in the air pressure, this pressure based changes instigate the device and it produces the output in the required form. The output can be stored or analyzed as per the requirement of the industrial application. Sound sensors are also popular as acoustic sensors and are useful as they can sense sounds that are difficult for human ears to sense. The marine industry finds its applications of using sound sensors at varying places. Besides the marine industry, sound sensors are also being used in the healthcare industry. The sound sensing devices have the potential to detect bone fractures.

The primary driver for this market is the increasing application development besides product development. The customized and easy-to-use applications have propelled the growth in the application of such technologies. The other drivers for this market include rising demand of reliable, high performance and cheaper sensors which have been driven by various factors towards miniaturization. In addition, factors such as evolving inclination towards telecommunication market, low manufacturing cost and progress in various application segments are touted as the factors driving this market.

The restraints for this market include the concern regarding the surface acoustic wave sensors being substituted by other sensors in application and low mass sensitivity. Nevertheless, development of wireless technology and telecom infrastructure have expected to create larger opportunities for sound sensors market in the near future.

The global sound sensor market is fragmented on the basis of types into sound acoustic wave (SAW) sensor and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) sensor. Furthermore, application wise, this market can be segmented into several industries such as automotive, healthcare, aerospace & defense consumer electronics and industrial. The progress in automotive industry has further boosted the growth of sound sensor market as a result of increasing concern for safety among vehicle manufacturers. Automotive industry is expected to remain leading applicant for sound sensor throughout the forecast period. Also, due to the technical advantages offered many more market players are expected to enter in this market. On the basis of sensing parameters, the global sound sensor market can be separated into pressure, mass, temperature, humidity, viscosity, torque and chemical vapor.

North American region holds largest market share globally for the sound sensor market and is expected to maintain its dominance over the forecasting period. Western Europe region is also leading the market in terms of revenues generated as most of the acoustic wave sensor manufacturers are located in this region. Moreover, Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow speedily over the forecasting period because of improving economies in this region and substantial development primarily in the automotive industry.

The major players in global sound sensor market are API Technologies Corp, Honeywell International Inc., Teledyne Microwave Solutions, Vectron International, CTS Corporation, Boston Piezo-optics INC., Phonon Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, CeramTec and Epson Toyocom Corporation among others.