Mini-Nose scent detector sniffs out bombs, possibly liars

Ever dreamt of having a second, electronic, miniature nose that you could use to sniff out explosives, and maybe detect when your milk will go bad? We "sense" that you're at home shaking your head "no." Not a problem -- because some scientists in Israel have had that dream for you. Enter the Mini-Nose (no, seriously), a new technology developed by Herzliya-based Scent Detection Technologies Ltd., which effectively emulates the mammalian olfactory sense for trace and particle detection. The analyzer will be put into use by security organizations in Israel and the US, including (but not limited to) the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. Apparently, the Mini-Nose works by utilizing a technology called High-Frequency Quartz Crystal Microbalance (HF-QCM), which sniffs trace levels of explosives with a lower cost and greater accuracy than existing technologies. "Our technology is portable, reliable, cost-effective and can also detect improvised explosives without the need for upgrades," says the company's Vice President of Business Development Doron Shalom, who then went on to ominously add that the device can also "smell fear."

[Via ISRAEL21c]

[Flinkman @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:40AM]

No way, I saw something like this in a movie Richie Rich, when I was a kid, and wanted a toy like that ever since.

[R. C. @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:49PM]

Nose:"Trinitrotoluene"
Operator:"Trinitrotoluene.... TNT!"
*Plane Explodes*

[tchiseen @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:39AM]

It can smell fear AND thwart terrorists, so basically it's a portable Chuck Norris machine.

[Kevin @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:25AM]

I find it amusing that they call it a Mini-Nose when that thing is bigger than any human nose I've ever seen.

[Mike @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:05PM]

How does fear smell?
Fear smells brown.

[Mike @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:05PM]

How does fear smell?
Fear smells brown.

[Wwhat @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:42PM]

Hmm, but then if there's a bomb scare won't it overload on the fear smell before the bomb is found?

[dan reed @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:36PM]

looks like a little kids toy

[Stopskateboarding @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:42PM]

A lot of dogs are gonna be put out of work now!

[ytu159 @ Sep 4th 2007 2:25AM]

Ya! Go Israel. Always protecting those around them!