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
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(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.
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.
(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.
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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