TEDS stands for Transducer Electronic Data Sheets, which are small chips containing essential identification and calibration data for sensors according to international IEEE 1451.4 standards. The history of TEDS began in 1996 with efforts to interface sensors with instrumentation, resulting in the TEDS standard to allow manufacturers to store sensor data on the sensor itself. TEDS templates define the type and units of data stored, with basic TEDS including manufacturer ID, model number, version, and serial number. TEDS provide benefits like plug-and-play connectivity, inventory management, and data reliability by eliminating manual entry errors.