We live in a world of odor – chemical signals that contain valuable data about our health, the environment and even personal choices such as what foods, perfumes and beverages we enjoy. Despite decades of research and development, this aromatic information has mostly remained unused.
But now scientists and entrepreneurs are demanding their efforts to recreate the sense of smell and compact devices that detect and analyze odors similar to how cameras now recognize our faces and our words microphones. In pursuit of these high-tech devices – which could use odors to detect diseases such as cancer or Covid-19, locate hidden explosives or decipher our moods and behaviors – some companies are taking advantage of advances in synthetic biology and genetic engineering . Others benefit from advances in artificial intelligence.
