Low-cost refractive index and strain sensor based on tapered fibers

•A simple and low-cost sensing approach is proposed by means of tapered fibers and a broadband source.•Traditional approach using a tunable source is also explained for comparison purposes.•Both refractive index and strain sensing measurements are presented.•Power stability evolution of the two approaches is also analyzed.

In this paper, biconical tapered fibers are used to carry out sensing in a simple and effective way by using an incoherent source and a power meter. This approach reduces the cost and complexity of traditional schemes based on tunable lasers while providing similar performance. Refractive index and strain sensing measurements are presented and their performance discussed.