4 ms·

I guess that would be a system like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography%E2%80%93mass_spectrometry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatogr

I guess that would be a system like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography%E2%80%93mass_spectrometry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography%E2%80%93mas... ?

pm90 9y ago
Right, I guess I should have made my question more concise...are there electronic odor sensors? i.e. stuff small enough that can be e.g. put inside my cellphone.
- logfromblammo 9y ago
  As far as I am aware, the smallest available odor sensor is a trained bee or wasp. The hymenopterans are classically conditioned to extend their tongues when exposed to a particular chemical or odor profile. Then they are restrained inside a plastic cartridge, such that whenever they extend their tongues, a tiny button is pressed. The cartridge is then loaded into a handheld device that lights an LED whenever the insect detects the odor. Much cheaper than trained dogs, and the purely electronic detectors are not quite as robust [yet]. The downside is that you can't exactly buy it once and keep using it for the next 10 years. Sniffer insects have been used to detect bombs, fungal blight, cancer, diabetes, pregnancy, contraband drugs, and uranium.
  - throwanem 9y ago
    I thought this was all a joke, but apparently only some of it is: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera_training https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera_training
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      The cartridges are not mentioned in that article. I saw them on a television program. They so strongly resembled rows of schoolchildren sitting at their desks, that I half expected a bell to ring before the bees put their textbooks away and go on to learn another scent. The commercial product is the VASOR136 by Inscentinel Ltd. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.269373!/file/SnifferBees.pdf https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.269373!/file/Sniff...
- sp332 9y ago
  Pretty small, but not cell-phone sized. https://www.amazon.com/MicrOptix-VSA-100-Analyzing-Spectrophotometer-Wavelength/dp/B00440CZ00 https://www.amazon.com/MicrOptix-VSA-100-Analyzing-Spectroph... Ones that detect particular contaminants can be a lot smaller, especially if they are single-use.
  - isoprophlex 9y ago
    That's a spectrophotometer, not a GC/MS... Can you detect smelly airborne chemicals with this as well?
    - sp332 9y ago
      Reading the description, it might be for liquids instead. Anyway it won't give as much information about the molecular components as a mass spectrometer, but you can still get a good idea if there are contaminants.
  - isoprophlex 9y ago
    That's a spectrophotometer, not a GC/MS... Can you detect smelly airborne chemicals with this as well?
- danesparza 9y ago
  Possibly. Here is an article from MIT in 2014 detailing recent discoveries and improvements in chip tech that could allow this: http://news.mit.edu/2014/wireless-chemical-sensor-for-smartphone-1208 http://news.mit.edu/2014/wireless-chemical-sensor-for-smartp...

I guess that would be a system like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography%E2%80%93mass_spectrometry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography%E2%80%93mas... ?

pm90 9y ago

Right, I guess I should have made my question more concise...are there electronic odor sensors? i.e. stuff small enough that can be e.g. put inside my cellphone.

logfromblammo 9y ago
As far as I am aware, the smallest available odor sensor is a trained bee or wasp. The hymenopterans are classically conditioned to extend their tongues when exposed to a particular chemical or odor profile. Then they are restrained inside a plastic cartridge, such that whenever they extend their tongues, a tiny button is pressed. The cartridge is then loaded into a handheld device that lights an LED whenever the insect detects the odor. Much cheaper than trained dogs, and the purely electronic detectors are not quite as robust [yet]. The downside is that you can't exactly buy it once and keep using it for the next 10 years. Sniffer insects have been used to detect bombs, fungal blight, cancer, diabetes, pregnancy, contraband drugs, and uranium.
- throwanem 9y ago
  I thought this was all a joke, but apparently only some of it is: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera_training https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera_training
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    The cartridges are not mentioned in that article. I saw them on a television program. They so strongly resembled rows of schoolchildren sitting at their desks, that I half expected a bell to ring before the bees put their textbooks away and go on to learn another scent. The commercial product is the VASOR136 by Inscentinel Ltd. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.269373!/file/SnifferBees.pdf https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.269373!/file/Sniff...
sp332 9y ago
Pretty small, but not cell-phone sized. https://www.amazon.com/MicrOptix-VSA-100-Analyzing-Spectrophotometer-Wavelength/dp/B00440CZ00 https://www.amazon.com/MicrOptix-VSA-100-Analyzing-Spectroph... Ones that detect particular contaminants can be a lot smaller, especially if they are single-use.
- isoprophlex 9y ago
  That's a spectrophotometer, not a GC/MS... Can you detect smelly airborne chemicals with this as well?
  - sp332 9y ago
    Reading the description, it might be for liquids instead. Anyway it won't give as much information about the molecular components as a mass spectrometer, but you can still get a good idea if there are contaminants.
- isoprophlex 9y ago
  That's a spectrophotometer, not a GC/MS... Can you detect smelly airborne chemicals with this as well?
danesparza 9y ago
Possibly. Here is an article from MIT in 2014 detailing recent discoveries and improvements in chip tech that could allow this: http://news.mit.edu/2014/wireless-chemical-sensor-for-smartphone-1208 http://news.mit.edu/2014/wireless-chemical-sensor-for-smartp...