Synthetic Mucus Boosts Robotic Nose Sensitivity

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

For human noses, mucus helps keep out bacteria, dust, etc. etc. But for robotic noses, it also seems to increase the sensitivity of scent detection, as it reduces the rate at which the odors reach the sensors.

Coating the accurate sensors with a mixture of polymers allowed the nose to pick out a diverse range of smells.

The synthetic mucus mimics that found in human noses and controls the rate at which different odours bombard sensors. Source: BBC News

We Say: As artificial noses increase in use, from detecting odors generated by specific diseases to (natch) anti-terror uses, this could be a major boon. And yes, I realize the BBC story used the term “snot”, but I was trying to be more … sensitive (pun intended) to our readers.