What is Big Think?    We are Big Idea Hunters…      Big Think
Features:  12,000+ Expert Videos    Watch videos  World Renowned
Bloggers    Go to blogs  Big Think Edge    Find out more  What's
That Smell? Smartphones May Soon Find Out  August 23, 2012, 1:30
PM  Article written by guest writer Kecia Lynn  What's the
Latest Development?  Continuing on the theme of Safer Living
Through Technology, University of California-Riverside
researchers have designed a prototype for a sensor that can
"smell" airborne toxins via the use of "functionalized carbon
nanotubes" that detect substances "down to the parts per billion
level." The latest version of what's being labeled an
"electronic nose" will be paired with GPS and Bluetooth
capabilities so that it can be synced with a smartphone.
Currently sized at 4 by 7 inches, developers are working to make
it smaller: A credit card-sized multi-channel sensor could
detect up to eight toxins. They are also looking to see if, in
addition to GPS and Bluetooth, adding wi-fi might b