Advanced Bionics

Electronic Nose

The electronic nose roughly mimics human scent sensors and their communication with the human brain. The human olfactory system is by far the most complex and contains thousands of receptors that bind to odor molecules and can detect certain odors at parts per trillion levels and includes between 10 and 100 million receptors. Apparently, some of the olfactory mucus receptors can bind to more than one odor molecule, and in some cases, an odor molecule can bind to more than one receptor. A result is a bewildering number of combinations that send unique signals to the human brain. The brain then interprets these signals and makes a judgment and/or classification to identify the substance consumed, based in part on previous experiences or recognition of neural network patterns.