Artificial nose becomes coffee analyzer, sniffs out KIRF Starbucks venues

Artificial schnozzes have been sniffing foreign objects for years now, but rarely are they engineered to sniff out specific things. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign have done just that, though, with a new snout that acts as a coffee analyzer. Reportedly, the device can "distinguish between ten well-known commercial brands of coffee and can also make a distinction between coffee beans that have been roasted at different temperatures or lengths of time." The significance here is that this distinction is incredibly difficult to make, and it could one day help coffee growers determine whether batches are as good as prior batches on the cheap. More importantly, however, it could help the modern java hunter determine whether or not they're walking in a corporate Starbucks or one of those "branded" kiosks with two-fifths the menu. Brilliant, right?

[Alexicov Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:37PM]

They need to find a way to make that into an implant. I seriously have the worst sense of smell ever.
Oh they could also replace police dogs or something.

[inteller Posted Apr 19th 2010 2:19PM]

@Alexicov

so its the pink dot that makes Starbucks taste so good.....well now I know!

[Bud92 Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:43PM]

I never really drunk the stuff, but it's never to late to try.

[blland Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:45PM]

I think my nose can already tell between good and bad coffee (and that's all I need to know), but thanks

[New Reformation Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:50PM]

@blland

So, I take it you stay far away from Starbucks?

[sergioquiros Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:46PM]

Someone really needs to learn the difference between "columbian" and "colombian".

[someone Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:49PM]

@sergioquiros I know the difference!

[colmiak Posted Feb 22nd 2010 1:05AM]

@sergioquiros i hate when people do this. how hard is it, really? Colombia is a country. Columbia is a district. duh. ugh. I'm Colombian thank you very much.

[WestCoastG Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:52PM]

There's two different types of Starbucks?

[DarrenMurph Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:53PM]

@WestCoastG Go inside the Hilton Las Vegas. There's a coffee kiosk with a "Starbucks" logo, but good luck trying to order half the things you normally get a "real" Starbucks.

[silentio Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:53PM]

Oh, it looks and works like Engadget's The Daily Roundup! In those cases, we are able to sniff out important Apple information vs the thousand other things that pass off as news.

[Joseph9307 Posted Feb 22nd 2010 12:10AM]

I'll take thar comment as a joke lol!
But if you're being serious, them here's my response:
Usually, when speaking about coffee, one refers to the superior, rich taste of the Colombian coffee beans. I've yet to hear someone praising the quality of Columbia's coffee......