Artificial ‘nose’ can sniff out damaged fruit and spoiled meat

Although smell has historically played an important role in the fight against diseases such as the plague and tuberculosis, the human nose is generally not sensitive enough to be used as a reliable diagnostic tool. However, a new artificial ‘nose’ inspired by our sense of smell could now make it possible to detect undiagnosed disease, hazardous gases, and food that is starting to spoil.

Michael Cheffena, a professor of telecommunications at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Gjøvik, believes says antenna technology is behind the breakthrough.

He says that previous attempts to create so-called ‘electronic noses’ have not had the advantage of having an existing infrastructure readily available. They have also been affected by many other challenges that antenna technology can potentially resolve.

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The antenna transmits radio signals at a range of different frequencies into the surroundings. It then analyses how they are reflected back. The way the signals behave changes based on the gases present, and because the antenna transmits signals at multiple frequencies, the changes create unique patterns that can be linked to specific volatile organic compounds.

“Other electronic noses can have several hundred sensors, often each coated with different materials," Cheffena said. "This makes them both very power-intensive to operate and expensive to manufacture. They also entail high material consumption. In contrast, the antenna sensor consists of only one antenna with one type of coating."

So far, the sensor technology has been tested on impact-damaged fruits and meats of varying ages. By adjusting the algorithms that detect the unique ‘fingerprints’ of the different gases, the researchers believe the technology may also be able to smell diseases.

“Volatile organic compounds enable trained dogs to detect health-threatening changes in blood sugar and diseases like cancer, so the principle is largely the same,” said Yu Dang, a PhD research fellow.