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Researchers Develop Electronic Nose To Sniff Out Pesticides and Nerve Gas (phys.org)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Researchers from KU Leuven have now built a very sensitive electronic nose with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). "MOFs are like microscopic sponges," postdoctoral researcher Ivo Stassen explains. "They can absorb quite a lot of gas into their minuscule pores." "We created a MOF that absorbs the phosphonates found in pesticides and nerve gases. This means you can use it to find traces of chemical weapons such as sarin or to identify the residue of pesticides on food. This MOF is the most sensitive gas sensor to date for these dangerous substances. Our measurements were conducted in cooperation with imec, the Leuven-based nanotechnology research centre. The concentrations we're dealing with are extremely low: parts per billion -- a drop of water in an Olympic swimming pool -- and parts per trillion." The chemical sensor can easily be integrated into existing electronic devices, Professor Rob Ameloot adds. "You can apply the MOF as a thin film over the surface of, for instance, an electric circuit. Therefore, it's fairly easy to equip a smartphone with a gas sensor for pesticides and nerve gas." Professor Ameloot continues, "MOFs can measure very low concentrations, so we could use them to screen someone's breath for diseases such as lung cancer and MS in an early stage. Or we could use the signature scent of a product to find out whether food has gone bad or to distinguish imitation wine from the original. This technology, in other words, offers a wide range of perspectives."
one of the things keeping robots from taking over fruit picking is that they can't tell when something's ripe. Won't be long now..
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peak of ovulation ?
Walk around with their noses in the air.
Thanks to this great advancement and careful analysis of the "nerve gas" in a contaminated area, an ashamed Professor Zimmerman is now prohibited from dining at the local Taco Bell. ;)
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
So . . . When this is part of my next smartphone: Google, the NSA, Amazon, the local police and everyone will know what I had for dinner, how much I had to drink and whether I used any illegal substances each day. Combined with the knowledge of where I've been, who I've been in contact with, what purchases I've made and what web sites I've visited... What could possibly go wrong?
...omphaloskepsis often...
I can imagine something like this being effective in the lab and when new, but I wonder how long it takes for its performance to degrade. It presumably relies on very sensitive chemical reactions which assume zero contamination. After a few minutes exposed to street pollution, does it still work? Even if my concerns in this area are well founded, the technology will still be useful, but I am pretty skeptical about it becoming a standard smart phone feature.
Remember Richie Rich (the film)? Prof. Keenbeam invented such a device in it, called Sniffer. They used it to detect bombs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?... It could be very useful in real life to sniff out bombs at the airport.
. . . . ten years ago, similar capability required roughly 2 cubic meters of equipment, not a thin film on a sensor.
Only reason I know this, is I was working IT on a program that was developing a sensor unit ~ 2005. . .
This is great for a research paper, but in the end this is nothing new. Researchers have been making electronic noses for years with this level of sensitivity.
Here's a carbon nanotube one from UC Riverside in 2008: http://newsroom.ucr.edu/1885
Here's one from 2011 that uses graphene, nanotubes, and carbon nanowires: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6127182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D6127182
There are lots of ways to make these unique materials into an electronic nose; that's actually the easy part. The hard part is now go make 1,000,000 sensors per year with at least 80% preferably 95% manufacturing yield where every batch you make is consistent from one to the next; transferring this to industrial production is the hard part and MOFs are really hard to make at scale with consistent properties. Until then, this is just another press release about someone's dissertation and published paper that will sit on a shelf with no change to the world.
a drop of water in an Olympic swimming pool
s/ic/ic\-sized/p Fixed that for ya.
Oh, I'm sorry sir, I thought you were referring to me, Mr. Wensleydale.
"Today we are proud to announce our new project and partnership with CUNTT, the Citizens United Nose Test Trust. We will be delivering a MOF-based solution as an American Flag lapel pin and an accompanying smart phone app to all politicians," said Cam L. Spitts, CEO of MOFIA, the MOF Innovations Alliance.
"We have gotten much support for this project from the many super PACs. The device, which we have dubbed "The Bernie" after the late Bernie Sanders, will beep if the level of bullshit spewed by a politician exceeds 10000 PPM and noisily if they hurl bullshit at concentrations exceeding 1000000 PPM. We have 110% confidence in the device's ability to detect bullshit based upon our thorough testing."
"Our super PAC investors are delighted by this new device and app being added to the IoT. Their hope is to ensure the money they spend on these politicians is put to good use. With the device beeping loudly enough to drown out most politicians today, it will ensure they are unable to contribute to the modern media noise machine. We don't expect politicians to change their habits overnight, but eventually we expect their lapels will beep less as they learn to better communicate with their communities in the coming years and ensuring better bang for the super PAC buck", he finished, wiping drool off his cheek.
When this reporter caught up with Cam after his prepared statements, I asked him about why it was called "The Bernie" when his sponsors didn't like Bernie Sanders. He replied, "It's true our sponsors were no fans of Bernie Sanders, but they knew the public would trust something named Bernie when it came to dealing with super PACs. So the name stuck," said Cam, as he chewed on a mouth full of grass roots.
In common, electronic noses typically are large and expensive. They are priced out of reach for ordinary person. Devices must be smaller, less expensive and more sensitive.