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Scientists sniff out useful applications for robotic nose

April 17, 1997
Web posted at: 6:02 p.m. EDT (2202 GMT)

An expanded Web version of segments seen on CNN

(CNN) -- Scientists have endowed computers with eyes to see, thanks to digital cameras, and ears to hear, via microphones and sophisticated recognition software. Now they're taking computers further into the realm of the senses with the development of an artificial nose.

Artificial Nose

So far, the device falls short of its biological counterpart. The human nose, for example, can detect hundreds of different smells. But the synthetic nose already can discern dozens of odors, which it converts into images on a computer screen.

movie icon (1.2 M/28 sec. QuickTime movie)

"We have tested 40 distinct materials, some of which are complex mixtures, things like cologne," said David Walt, a professor at Tufts University near Boston. And the man-made nose is right about 97 percent of the time, he said.

The device bears no resemblance to its biological model, but uses fiber optics to "take a picture" of a smell. The result shows up on a computer screen as a colorful array of circles, each representing the "fluorescence" of individual elements.

prototype

Developers of the nose say its real-world applications might include medical diagnostics and monitoring for household fumes or environmental contamination.

Walt says the transition from prototype to commercial device will likely take three to five years.

Looking even farther into the future, Walt says his machine eventually could lead to a "Star Trek"-like device that can render instant medical diagnoses.

Correspondent Dick Wilson contributed to this report.


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