I would like that too. After a surgery a few years I sometimes have post nasal drip which causes bad breath. I have no way to tell when this happens. I would love a sensor that could detect it.
According to your sibling, there are already off-the-shelf sensors that detect some malodors. Maybe we just need to source already-existing components and convince an EE/manufacturing engineer to do a kickstarter?
The problem is that you need to know what chemical you are looking for that's causing the smell. Are there any sensors that can detect a wide range of smells?
A quick google search reveals a number of label free odor sensors, everything is early stage though.
Label free may not be the best phrase for what you meant though. Label free means you are looking at all biomarkers present in a sample, the primary challenge with label free is that we don't know every biomarker to look for or what every biomarker we see means.
The real problem is replicating our olfactory system. It can detect millions of compounds (even undiscovered and new) and we still have competing theories on how it works. One involves quantum mechanics[1], which is very hard to replicate with our current level of manufacturing.
I wanted to ask about your methods of modelling multi component diffusion. Also do the machines use the psychophysical aspects of headspace for smell analysis?
I'm working on molecular models for complex perfume models.
Hit me up if you have any answers please. HaoZeke@yandex.com
Any chance you might come out with a model that detects body odor or mouth odor?
Given them mentions of cancer in this thread, do you already have in place a policy to avoid accidentally advertising a cancer cure in the UK (which is illegal)?
>Any chance you might come out with a model that detects body odor or mouth odor?
Very unlikely in the short to mid-term. While it would be possible to gather enough data to train the algorithms to detect mouth or body odours, our chemical analysers are not yet practical for hand-held use. We're working on that though.
>do you already have in place a policy to avoid accidentally advertising a cancer cure in the UK (which is illegal)?
We're developing a lung cancer screening test meant to be administered in a primary or secondary point of care, so it's not something that could be advertised as a cancer cure. Even if our test came back as positive, the patient would be referred for a CT scan or similar. The idea is to have a non-invasive test to increase the compliance rate and detect the cancer earlier. That alone increases the chance of survival quite dramatically.
Interesting. I'd imagine that you could make a killing off of the personal hygiene market and use that as a source of funding for the medical applications.
I mean the CMOS was a break through for image sensors.
There are air quality sensors and various kind of gas sensors.
But what sensor tech can be used to smell odor?
There are dogs that smell drugs, cancer, and what not - so "just" a sensor is needed to get the data in difital format.
[btw NYT article page crashes my mobile browser mid article, what are they doing? Their site used to be lean, now it's dog slow and something is wrong with scrolling]
Odours are just molecules that are detected by the cells in our noses, and it's possible to identify them with various techniques. You've probably heard of mass spectrometry, which tells you the mass to charge ratio of the molecules that are present in a sample. You can figure out which molecules they are by looking up the m/z value in a database -- but mass spectrometers are pretty bulky.
There's also a technique called field-asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry, which gives you a less direct indication of the molecules you're looking at, but FAIMS can be miniaturized into a silicon chip, and that is what Owlstone has done. Here's a bit more info about FAIMS: https://www.owlstonemedical.com/science-technology/faims-tec...
edit: odours are not necessarily organic molecules
Yeah. Right. This is why Yeah. Right. This is why H2S has no smell. (in fact, some claim is has not and we smell something else).
"that are detected by the cells in our noses, and it's possible to identify them with various techniques."
Well, I think this was not the question. Yes, the mentioned start-up in this thread (owlstonemedical) uses a "Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometer", might work, but I am not too impressed by the approach. Also, would not call this a detection of "scent".
Would be more impressed if they really build an artificial nose that can smell. They eye has not receptors to detect dogs, chairs, cars but detects a spectrum. Same with the ear and actually, the same with the nose. The literature is out there.
Not that anyone has suggested this but it doesn't seem so far fetched given that dogs can supposedly smell cancer. Also, if bees really can smell fear...
One day, you'll have to insert your ATM card into this machine and it may let you into the hospital if you can afford your illness or it can secure you on demand financing.
I would pay at least $150 for that as a hard-of-smelling person. I would have far paid more back when I was single and lonely.