Modern home automation systems include features that enhance security, such as cameras and radars. This paper proposes an innovative home security system that can detect burglars by analyzing acoustic signals and instantly notifying the authorized person(s). The system architecture incorporates the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), resulting in a network and a user-friendly system. The proposed system uses an adaptive detection algorithm, namely the “short-time-average through long-time-average” algorithm. The proposed algorithm is implemented by an IoT device (Arduino Duo) to detect people’s acoustical activities for the purpose of home/office security. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using 10 acoustic signals representing actual events and background noise. The acoustic signals were generated by the sounds of keys shaking, the falling of a small object, the shrinking of a plastic bag, speaking, footsteps, etc. The effects of different algorithms’ parameters on the performance of the proposed system have been thoroughly investigated.

In this study, an experimental investigation was conducted to explore Ge _1-x Pb _x O _y as a candidate material for temperature-sensing layers in uncooled microbolometers. RF and DC sputtering techniques were used to deposit Ge _1-x Pb _x O _y thin films with various oxygen concentrations on silicon substrates at room temperature. The composition of the samples was experimentally analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) that showed various oxygen concentrations. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis showed excellent average surface roughness ranging from 0.6995 to 0.8660 nm. Increasing the concentration of oxygen up to 31% improved the thermoelectric and optical characteristics of the prepared Ge _1-x Pb _x O _y thin films. The highest temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the fabricated samples was -3.85%/K for the Ge _0.94 Pb _0.06 O _0.31 thin film. By using Essential McLeod software, optical simulation of the thin film samples was performed to assess the highest absorptance of the cavity microbolometer structure, which was 81.88% for the Ge _0.94 Pb _0.06 O _0.31 thin film.

The active layer material quality and doping profile effects on the ZnO-based thin film metal-semiconductor-metal photodiode’s (MSM-PD) performance are studied using a two-dimensional numerical simulation. The results of the simulation reveal that the temporal response advantages of increasing the doping concentration of the PD’s active layer are only appreciable at low bias. Whereas, using the downgraded material the temporal response advantages are maintained for all applied biases but at the expense of a very low responsivity. The paper discusses the possibility of improving the temporal response while maintaining excellent responsivity. It is shown that the composed structure, made of a good material heavily doped top layer, and a bottom layer lightly doped made of downgrade material, exhibits the desired temporal response advantages while maintaining an excellent responsivity.