Scientists develop smell-detecting sensors with modified frog eggs

We aren’t new to the concept of an electronic nose, but because that wasn’t considered a tech enough for robots, a bioengineer Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo has genetically modified frog eggs to create a highly accurate nose (sensor) to figure out smells and gases. The eggs extracted off an African clawed frog were injected with DNA of silkmoth, diamondback moth and fruit fly, and the resulting sensor out of the modified eggs is placed onto in a specially made cartridge where they were exposed to different smells and chemicals.

smell sensor from genetically modified frog eggs

As a proof of the concept, the robot Shoji has built shakes its head when moth pheromones are sensed. Such technology could come real handy in making machines et al. which would detect polluting gases etc. Shoji and his team think if they can inject the frog eggs with mosquito DNA they could have a sensor ready which can detect CO2, this because mosquitoes have CO2 receptors, using which they are able to find people.

Via: New Scientist/Daily Mail