Table 2 Electronic nose applications
From: Olfaction as a soldier-- a review of the physiology and its present and future use in the military
Electronic nose applications | Techniques currently being employed | Benefits in the military | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
Detection of Explosives (Landmines) | • By humans with simple metal detectors • Human-dog teams (faster) | • Save human lives •Work around the clock • Improve security for humans (good warning tool) • Conserve marine ecology | • Need to outperform dogs • Require high sensitivity and high selectivity • Need to be low maintenance • Need to be robust |
Environmental Monitoring | • Traditional Methods: Olfactometry measurements • Interpreted by qualified humans and identification with analytical instruments | • Detect toxic chemicals • Detect smoke [50] • Indoor air quality [51–54] • Automotive ventilation control [55, 56] • Measure water quality | • Sampling is difficult • Needs to be representative of the surroundings • Need to be adjustable to standardized humidity and temperature. |
Medical Diagnostics and Health Monitoring | • Olfaction to help in diagnosis largely ignored [62] with availability of modern diagnostic techniques | Tested with • metabolic diseases [9, 74, 75] • monitoring hemodialysis [76]. | • Need to reduce the false-positive and false-negative rates • Need to understand the impact of common factors (nutrition [77, 78] and medication [79]) on humans |
Automotive and Aerospace Applications | • Currently conceptual • Used in NASA’s STS-95 flight | Beneficial uses: • Monitor exhaust to feedback to engine for higher combustion efficiency • Monitor the cabin air for passenger safety | • Need for devices that are cheap and small • Need to be able to detect a variety of relevant odors for particular applications. |
Food and Beverage Quality Assurance | • Adherence to use-by dates • Use by dates determined by experimental research | • Able to ensure whether food is edible in times of crises and different environments • More sensitive and accurate [81] | • Spoilage compounds differ with different types of food and beverage [85]. |