One side effect of no sleep while working is strange and useful thoughts. This one will get Beth to beat on me but might be worth a few billion in the long run. The government is putting a lot of money into trying to create olfactory sensors. Basically mechanical sniffers. They're doing a number of things and I think I have the answer for them. ---disclaimer - peta should stop reading here ---- Take a few breeds of dogs known for their sense of smell. Either put sensors around their olfactory nerve or slice it and splice it into something that can read the electrical impulses coming through it. Expose each dog to a series of scents in very controlled situations. Record the electrical patterns. I'm betting that all dogs get the same sensory data from their noses and any difference between dog or species is in the interpretation (i.e. the brain). If a standard set of impulses can be recorded for different stimuli, and they are all the same, then it should then be possible to catalog and maybe even decode the information. It is known that mice can do basically genetic testing based on sense of smell alone. We don't know how and we don't have to know how. All we need is the data and a way of interpreting it for our use. After we have the data and 'translation program', simply create bio sensors that incorporate the cells from a dogs nose (or other animal with better sense of smell) into them. This will result in a sensor that can record smell and interpret it. Think of the tracking abilities, the anti-terrorism potentials, the civil rights violations. It'll be a huge thing. :)
Michael Dinowitz Master of the House of Fusion http://www.houseoffusion.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
