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Mucus Boosts Robo Noses

by Tim Stevens on May 4, 2007 at 08:24 AM

Mucus Boosts Robo Noses

'Short Circuit' star Johnny Five and his robot ilk inched one step closer to being alive today.

When it comes to replicating human senses in machines, scent is the hardest -- something British researchers at the University of Warwick and Leicester University have been struggling with as they attempt to create a better artificial nose for sniffing out bombs and toxic pollutants. The answer, it turns out, was collecting in their own noses.

By slapping a thin layer of artificial polymer-based mucus onto their faux-sniffer, the scientists figured out they could greatly increase its sensitivity. For the first time, a robot nose is able tell the difference between milk and cream, which was previously impossible.

But, worry not. Human enslavement to our olfactory-enhanced robot overlords is still years off. The most advanced sniff machine deciphers smells with only 12 sensors, compared to our five million. Still, it wouldn't be bad idea to have some spoiled milk around when they do rise up.

From BBC News

Tags: Robots, Smell

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