The aroma of freshly brewed coffee is a welcome addition to an early morning. But it's the gases released from this coffee that contribute to the scent our noses pick up. Now, a team of engineers from the University of Notre Dame is working on a device with sensors that captures gases the way a human nose does, according to an article from the university.
Nosang Vincent Myung, the Bernard Keating Crawford Professor of Engineering, and his team have developed a prototype electronic nose using nanoengineered materials to try and duplicate the extraordinary capabilities of the human nose with its approximately 400 scent receptors able to distinguish millions of different smells. An electronic nose could be used to detect air pollutants or greenhouse gases, according to Myung, or to uncover bombs and drugs, sniff out cancer, identify natural gas leaks or assess food quality.
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