Electronic Nose

A drone uses the RHINOS (Real-time HIgh-speed e-NOSe) device to detect and measure foul-smelling gases at a wastewater treatment plant in southern Spain

Drones

Drone-mounted electronic nose used to assess wastewater plant odor

Wastewater treatment plants generally aren't known for their nice smell, and they have to be monitored in order to ensure that they're not becoming too stinky. An experimental new system uses an "e-nose" and a drone to do the job better.

A new electronic nose device can sniff out cancer with high accuracy

Medical

Electronic nose sniffs out cancer in blood samples with over 90% accuracy

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an electronic nose that may be able to sniff out signs of cancer from blood plasma samples. In tests, the device was able to detect a range of cancer types with over 90 percent accuracy.

Andreas Mershin from MIT is part of a research team developing an advanced electronic nose

Medical

Electronic nose uses machine learning to mimic a dog's sense of smell

A new type of electronic nose developed by an international team of researchers is claimed to up the sensitivity and capabilities of these devices, by pairing them with machine learning to mimic the canine ability to interpret different scents.

Intel Labs’ Nabil Imam holds a Loihi neuromorphic test chip in his Santa Clara, California, neuromorphic computing lab

Science

Intel's neuromorphic Loihi chip is rapidly learning to discern smells

Computers can already boast superhuman sensory abilities in sight and hearing, but smell has been much tougher. Even harder is learning to categorize and differentiate smells, but a new Intel chip that mimics the human brain is well on the way.

The prototype smelldect electronic nose sensor

Science

Electronic nose could find its way into your phone

It's important for us to be able to detect odors such as those emitted by spoiled food. However, what if there were a low-cost "electronic nose" that was better at detecting those things, providing us with an earlier warning? That's what's being developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Dogs' noses are incredibly sensitive, but electronic devices could be more practical in hard-to-reach disaster zones

Electronics

Scientists develop the smallest, cheapest electronic nose for search and rescue

Scientists have developed what they claim is the “smallest and cheapest” electronic nose for sniffing out people, designed with earthquake and avalanche rescue in mind. The nose detects various substances which would provide the crucial “chemical fingerprint” showing the presence of human life.

Team members pose with the Moosy 32 eNose

Medical

Stool-sample-sniffin' electronic nose detects diseases

Typically, colon-related illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are diagnosed via invasive tests. Thanks to a new "electronic nose," however, it may soon be possible to detect such disorders by analyzing a whiff of the patient's feces.

KU Leuven researchers have developed an electronic nose to detect pesticides and nerve gas

Electronics

Hyper-sensitive electronic nose sniffs out nerve gas like no other

A team of Belgian scientists has developed what is billed as the most sensitive "electronic nose" yet. The chemical sensor detects pesticides and nerve gases and has a design that could see it integrated with electronics such as your smartphone.

The team, led by Professor Paul Monks (pictured), is now looking for commercial partners for the technology

Science

Sniffing out the real-time chemical signature of ripening fruit

Researchers in the United Kingdom have successfully identified the chemical signature of ripening mangoes. The findings could be extended to other fruit, and might one day revolutionize how everyone from farmers to supermarket workers tell if their fruit is ready.

The Odoreader screening method was found to be 90 percent accurate at detecting prostate cancer, which is significantly better than existing testing techniques

Medical

Odoreader accurately detects prostate cancer from urine

Current tests for prostate cancer are far from ideal, sometimes resulting in unnecessary biopsies, and even failing to detect some cancers. Now, a team of researchers has turned to a machine it calls the Odoreader, designed to analyze urine samples to provide a non-invasive prostate cancer test.

An optical "dog's nose" could be used to diagnose disease from a person's breath

Medical

Optical device takes after a dog's nose to sniff out disease

The latest scientists to start sniffing around breath analysis as a form of medical diagnosis is a team from the University of Adelaide, who are developing a laser instrument inspired by dogs' noses that can screen samples for signs of disease.

An electronic nose developed by Finnish researchers is capable of distinguishing between prostate cancer and benign disease and could result in a less invasive approach to diagnosis

Medical

Electronic nose sniffs out prostate cancer

In an attempt to establish a less invasive method of detecting prostate cancer and preserve the quality of life for many suffers, Finnish researchers have developed an electronic nose capable of sniffing the patient's urine sample to distinguish between prostate cancer and benign disease.