Applications

It is the intention of the company to deploy this technology through integrated solutions for cell phones and other portable devices, and through small portable self-contained units in forms such as badges, buttons, and tags.

Electronic noses have been used in such diverse applications as providing early diagnostics in healthcare by detecting vapor signatures of bacteria in breath, monitoring and reducing pollutants in the environment, providing early detection and forensic analysis for security, reducing pollution by improving efficiency in transport, and monitoring food quality. However, current electronic nose systems are expensive and require extensive specialized training for proper use. SensorBit’s technology is conducive to low-cost manufacturing of systems that require no training, thereby enabling product implementations with mass-market potential.

Electronic noses have application in the following industries:

Food & Beverage Industry: Applications of electronic noses in the food industry include quality assessment in food production, inspection of food quality by odour, control of food cooking processes, inspection of fish, monitoring the fermentation process, checking rancidity of mayonnaise, verifying if orange juice is natural, monitoring food and beverage odours , grading whiskey, inspection of beverage containers, checking plastic wrap for containment of onion odour, and automated flavor control to name a few.

Check-out Counters: Electronic noses could be used as an input in automated check-out counters to identify unpackaged food, such as fruit and vegetables.

Ovens and Microwave Ovens: An electronic nose could be used in a thermal oven or microwave oven to determine when a food is properly cooked.

Medicine: In many cases, infection with microorganisms produces a change on the smell of person, which can be specially noticeable on the breath, in the urine or the stool, such changes have been commonly used as an aid to diagnosis of disease and some countries smelling the patient or the body fluids of patient was, and still is, an important tool in diagnosis.

Molecular Medicine/DNA identification: The charge on DNA chains results in a shift in electrical characteristic in organic transistors when the DNA is immobilized on the channel. It has been shown that a DNA strand can be distinguished from another that is different by only one nucleic acid base pair.

Dentistry: Electronic noses can be used to detect decay and bacterial infections by monitoring halitosis.

Environmental Monitoring: Environmental applications of electronic noses include analysis of fuel mixtures, detection of oil leaks, testing of water for odors, identification of household odors, identification of toxic waste, air quality monitoring, monitoring factory emissions, and odor levels in hog, poultry and cattle farms.

Automotive: Analysis of fuel mixture, detection of oil leaks, ethanol content in gasoline , detection of hydrogen leaks in hydrogen-fueled cars, and H2 leaks in hydrogen production systems, storage, pipelines.

Security/Emergency Response: (1) Detection of explosives, (2) vapor detection of land mines, (3) monitoring for terrorist threats of airborne poisons such as cyanogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, VX, sarin and mustard gases at concentrations below levels hazardous to health. (4) protect firemen responding to unknown chemical fires, (5) identification of residual scents on individuals, (6) body decomposition timing.

Law Enforcement/ Homeland Security: Electronic noses could be used for (1) arson investigations by sensing the presence of flamable accelerants such as gasoline, (2) A fast DNA test , (3) alcohol breath test, (4) hazardous chemical detection, (5) explosive detection.

Agriculture Industry: (1) Termite infestation identification- each termite species has its own airborne signature that the electronic nose can detect. (2) Using a network of smart sensors for wide-area monitoring of property boundaries during pesticide spraying for crop protection and mosquito control. (3) Detecting a hormonal signature in cattle and other animals could detect ovulation, allowing improved timing for artificial insemination, (4) monitor individual exposure to pesticides and herbicides during application.