Electronic Nose

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.

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.

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.

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.

A team of UCSB researchers have mimicked the anatomy of a dog's nose to build a highly effective scent detector that could be used to sniff out explosives and narcotics.

Research conducted at University of California, Riverside has resulted in an "electronic nose" prototype that can "smell" small amounts of harmful airborne materials.

Following on from research that found dogs could be trained to literally sniff out cancer, researchers have created an electronic nose that can detect ovarian cancer.