Nano-Bio-Robo-Nose

Posted 19 May 2006 at 14:19 UTC by Rog-a-matic

Researchers in Spain, France and Italy are working on the SPOT-NOSED (Single Protein Nanobiosensor Grid Array) project with the goal of making electronic odor sensors based on natural olfactory receptors. A thin layer of proteins connected to microelectrodes measures reactions as the proteins come into contact with different odorants. Applications include healthcare, agriculture, industry, security, and robotics. NASA and others are also working in this area.