6 - Artificial olfactory sense and recognition system

Abstract

An artificial olfactory sense is being researched; nevertheless, a useful artificial olfactory system has not yet been realized because of differences in each individual’s olfactory sense and evaluation methods of the sense. The fundamental technique for olfactory sensing is similar to that used in gas-sensing technology; hence, knowledge of gas sensors is needed to design an artificial olfactory system. These sensors are produced to detect a chemical ingredient in air, and the methods used to process the data output by the sensors are important for creating an artificial olfactory system. This chapter has sections about the hardware and about the software used in artificial olfactory systems. In the hardware section, techniques for creating metal oxide semiconductor and quartz crystal microbalance sensors are described. In the software section, techniques for recognition and classification of these sensors are described.