The E-Nose knows: AI learns to smell
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WALL STREET JOURNAL — Over the past few years, scientists have been developing and refining a technology called the e-nose—which is exactly what it sounds like. These systems detect and distinguish aromas, sometimes with about 1,000 times as much precision as humans can, and without the loss of sensitivity that comes when our noses get accustomed to an odor.
AI can then scrutinize those smells, and the tech can figure out, for instance, exactly what volatile gases comprise a scent, in what combination, and what those combinations mean.
And they can mean quite a lot. Right now, researchers are exploring—or even commercializing—e-nose systems that can scan a person’s breath to detect deadly infections, sniff the air in a building to seek out signs of potential contaminants, or even develop perfumes more quickly and cheaply than before.
The path to the perfect e-nose, however, isn’t a smooth one. That’s because getting an AI to identify smells is very different from having it analyze images.
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