Biosensor Will Enable Sense Of Smell In Machines

Team of researchers from University of Manchester in association with University of Bari (Italiy) have developed a new type of biosensor that will enable machines to have a sense of smell, just like or more accurate than humans. The team was able to use a combination of proteins coupled to the transistors and make the machines differentiate between smells that are mirror images of each other. This new development has tremendous potential use in the industry. For example, in the food industry, these sensors will be able to sniff out food items and inform if they're off. The sensors will also be able to accurately inform how polluted is the atmosphere in any area.

Odorant binding proteins are typically found in the mucus of the nose. These are used by olfactory receptors which allow the human brain to generate a sense of smell. The researchers were able to manufacture these proteins so that they can be used in the electronic biosensors. The team altered the way proteins react in order to recognise various types of chemicals.

Biosensor-Smell
Image Credit: Nature.com​

A new type of transistor which uses these proteins was developed that could track changes in the current as the proteins reached to various odours and make recordings. The overall system is so sensitive that it approaches the overall ability of the human nose to recognize various odours.

We encourage you to read more about the research on the source link provided below.

Source: #-Link-Snipped-#

Replies

  • Piyush Dangre
    Piyush Dangre
    This would be particularly useful to employ food quality evaluations at the time of food item handover to the customer.
  • Joseph Christie
    Joseph Christie
    This is the work mostly by chemists at the U of Man. The complete work by Mohammad Yusuf Mulla ,Krishna Persaud & Luisa Torsi is published in a paper under the title, "Capacitance-modulated transistor detects odorant binding protein chiral interactions"
    #-Link-Snipped-#

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