Nanotechnology puts your nose on a carbon nanotube. Olfaction. From New World Encyclopedia Olfactory perception Olfaction, the sense of smell, is the detection of chemicals dissolved in air.
It is one of the five senses originally described by Aristotle. There are two primary senses that detect chemicals: smell and taste. 'Air laser' may sniff bombs, pollutants from a distance. Public release date: 28-Jan-2011 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Steven Schultzsschultz@princeton.edu 609-258-3617Princeton University, Engineering School Princeton University engineers have developed a new laser sensing technology that may allow soldiers to detect hidden bombs from a distance and scientists to better measure airborne environmental pollutants and greenhouse gasses.
"We are able to send a laser pulse out and get another pulse back from the air itself," said Richard Miles, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton, the research group leader and co-author on the paper. "The returning beam interacts with the molecules in the air and carries their finger prints. "