That s good for situations when human eyes have an advantage over complicated computer analyses, odor-sensing specialist Ingemar Lundstr m of Sweden s Link ping University observed in a commentary also published in Nature. It is intriguing to be able to identify different smells by eye, he said. Such a system could be used to monitor levels of insecticides in the environment or to sniff out bacteria causing infections. He said we have not yet seen the last development in systems to detect specific chemical interactions and, in particular, to see the smell. For some smells, such as ethanol and gasoline, that s 10 to 100 times better than the human nose can do, Suslick said.
Testers can take pictures that record how colors change on the scent-sensing plate.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. Rakow and Suslick have applied for a patent, and Suslick said we re really moving quite far along on commercialization of the technology. They ve already come up with an experimental Smell-Camera that could be used to take snapshots of a smell. Within the tube is a tiny plate covered with spots of the odor-sensitive dyes. Suslick said the camera provided a simple way to point and shoot at an odoriferous substance.