#CHIPS Electronic Nose Sniffs out Medical Conditions

National Science Foundation funding could soon give diabetics an alternative to repeatedly pricking their finger for a blood sample. If successful, this electronic nose could potentially be trained to instantly identify many maladies just by sampling your breath. Look for electronic noses for diabetics within two years and for a wide variety of other diseases over the rest of the decade. RColinJohnson @NextGenLog

Electronic nose sniffs out chemical markers for disease with sensors crafted by electrospinning nanofiber and nanowire structures.

Electronic nose sensors can not only detect disease but can also diagnose its progress, according to Stony Brook University researchers. Nanowire-arrays of ultrasensitive sensors offer improved gas sensitivity, faster response and lower level detection than conventional approaches, promising to eliminate the need for blood tests in favor of breath-based diagnoses, the researchers say.
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