A team of scientists from the Tel Aviv University has developed A robot that can “smell” using a biological sensor. This sensor sends electrical signals in response to the presence of a nearby fragrance, which the robot can detect and interpret.
Scientists successfully combined a biological sensor with an electronic system and, using machine learning algorithm, were able to identify fragrances with a sensitivity level of 10,000 times higher than in the case of a commonly used electronic device. Scientists believe that the technology developed can also be used in the future to identify explosives, medicines, diseases and others.
According to scientists: “Technologies created by a man still cannot compete with millions of years of evolution. One of the areas in which we particularly remain behind the world of animals is the perception of the smell. An example of this can be found at the airport, where we go through a magnetometr, which costs his dog, and can detect it, or we carry any metal devices. But when they want to check if the passenger is a drug, they take a dog, Sugop him.
Scientists note that generally our sensory organs, such as eyes, ears and nose, use receptors that identify and distinguish various signals, as well as for all other animals. Then the sensory organ transforms the information obtained into electrical signals, which then the brain decodes. The challenge of biosensors is to connect a sensory organ as a nose with an electronic system, which can decod electrical signals obtained from receptors.
“We combined a biological sensor and allowed it to smell with different fragrances when we measured the electrical activity, which was induced by every smell. The system allowed us to detect every smell at the level of the primary sensory organ of the insect. Then at the second stage we used machine learning to create a” library “of fragrances. In the study we were characterized by 8 fragrances, such as Gelon and Majesta, “we said the machine profile. Yovel, one of the scientists in a team of programmers.
In the future, scientists plan to create a robot navigation system that will allow him to locate the source of the fragrance and then identify it.
