So far, the array at rats has been tested, with a version for dogs coming later, says Ravella. In a demo video seen exclusively by Wired, a Canaery scientist uses a magic wand to capture an air sample from four different petrists, each containing a different smell. The magic wand beeps and sends the odor molecules through a tube to a pod containing a rat equipped with the nose -computer interface. A few seconds after the animal smells the smell, the fragrance information is sent to a phone that sits on top of the pod. A mobile app displays the name of the compound that the animal smells, as well as a quality score that takes into account the accuracy and concentration of molecules.
Currently, the prototype of Canaery’s rats can detect arson accelerators and smokeless powder used in ammunition, as well as methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.
In mammals, the nose and brain work together to detect odors. When odor molecules enter the nostrils, they bind to odor receptors. People have about 450 types of olfactory receptors, while dogs have twice as much. Each odor stimulates different combinations of receptort types and produces a unique electrical signal. The signal is sent to the olfactory bulb to be processed. Lawla compares the surface of the olfactory bulb with a control board. When an odor comes in, lift the squares on the control board in a specific pattern.
Canaery uses AI software to recognize the patterns and associate with odors. After implanting the array, scientists expose the animal to a smell to train the AI models. Lawla says the software can be trained in about three sessions. During those sessions, scientists offer more than two dozen samples of the same smell to the animal. Later, the animal is again exposed to the smell to validate the AI models.
The current array implanted in the demo rot has 128 electrodes that take neural signals from the olfactory bulb. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are working on a new range with 767 electrodes to capture more information. “That next generation device will enable us to have greater performance in the field against complex background flavors and confusing fumes in the air,” says Lavla.
Decoding of smell is in no way a new attempt. Researchers have been working on ‘e-nose’ technology to detect smells for the past forty years. These devices use chemical sensors to transform odor molecules into electrical signals, which is then analyzed by a pattern recognition system to identify the smell source. But historically, these devices could only detect a small range of smells.
“Animals can do things that we can’t do the current sensors, so it’s a smart way to encounter the problem,” says Joel Mainland, a researcher of the OLFACTION at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a not -Sining Research Institute in Philadelphia.
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