It’s unbelievable that technology can leave the sense of smell brooding after getting the best out of sight and sound. Scientists have made forays in to the smell technology, though lethargically, studying the reaction of smell buds while detecting various compounds.



Artificial or electronic noses have been developed to tell when wine has gone stale, taking over the traditional chemical sensors. These cost effective devices can be used in sniffing food for quality control, detecting explosives at airports and many other purposes.



But what inspired scientists to move ahead in this field; of course, non other than our nose.



Researchers are trying to comprehend the human olfactory system that combines many factors to recognize perfectly different kind of smell coupled with the recognizing power of the brain. The electronic noses earlier were also devised in the same line equipped with an array of different polymer films with electrical conductivity that varies with respect to different chemicals. But modern electronic nose, as developed by Dr Subramanian, uses an array of organic semiconductor transistors in stead of polymer films



These intelligent artificial noses can be used to detect bacteria in rotten ingredients and install sensors in hospital ventilation systems to check the spread of infections. Other devices based on the human olfactory system include ‘Breathalyzer’ that can detect lung cancer, and “OdorScreen”, an odor-neutralizing agent. A hell lot of sniffing is going on.



Via: economist