Test your schnozz. Is it the real thing? Sounds bit like a crazy question doesn’t it? But actually, it is not all that nuts. Artificial noses are now a reality! In the spirit of yesterday’s blog post on sensitive hooters, today’s blog is going to look at artificial scent sensors and how they work. Did you know that, thanks to the lightning speed at which technology is advancing these days, robots and other machinery are now being equipped with artificial noses? Stranger than science fiction, and totally true! These scent-sational robots are sniffing chemicals in the air, just like a human or animal does, and identifying the scent! How do they do it? One way is by the use of tiny crystals covered with a material that absorbs the particles associated with different scents. The crystals vibrate and when scent particles are absorbed, the vibration changes. A sensor detects this change. Different particles result in different changes in the vibration of the crystal, so different scents can be identified!

Right now, artificial noses aren’t as scent-sitive as human noses, but they may be one day soon. Scientists have just discovered a way to make artificial mucus (or snot), which may be the key to increasing the range of scents robots can detect. Just like real nose mucus, this artificial mucus also traps particles and dissolves them, so they can register more easily on artificial sensors! In a few years, scientists hope that these artificial schnozzes may be used in hospitals to detect the scent of illness and infection! Cool!