By Haritosh Patel

As a graduate student researching bioinspired technology, I’ve always been fascinated by how nature solves problems that engineers still struggle with. Our latest perspective, published in Advanced Science, explores how the remarkable abilities of biological olfactory systems—like those found in animals—can inspire the next generation of electronic noses (e-noses).

Olfaction in nature is highly evolved. From detecting food and predators to recognizing individual scents, biological noses achieve an extraordinary level of sensitivity and adaptability. Alike, we have started deploying artificial e-noses to tackle chemical detection tasks, using sensor arrays to detect gases in industries, monitor air quality, and even analyze breath for medical diagnostics. Yet, despite decades of progress, artificial gas sensors struggle with key limitations such as poor selectivity, sensor drift, and difficulties in identifying complex chemical mixtures. Our work examines the fundamental principles that make biological olfaction so effective and how they can be applied to improve e-noses.

Key principles of biological olfaction—gas transport, non-selective sensing, and context-specific signal integration—enhance next-generation gas sensor design, improving accuracy, sensitivity, and adaptability.

We focused on several key aspects of natural olfactory systems, including how odor molecules travel through nasal structures, how receptors interact with these molecules, and how the brain processes scent information. We explored how active sniffing behaviors in mammals and insects enhance chemical detection and how neural circuits refine odor perception. These principles suggest new ways to design artificial sensors that are more accurate, responsive, and robust.

One exciting takeaway from our research is the concept of bioinspired sniffing. Unlike traditional sensors that passively collect data, animals actively control their inhalation patterns to optimize odor detection. By applying similar principles to artificial sensors—such as varying airflow and integrating machine learning to adjust sampling strategies—we can significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of gas detection.

The impact of these advancements is far-reaching. Enhanced e-noses could lead to more reliable air quality monitoring, bolster industrial safety by swiftly detecting hazardous leaks, and transform medical diagnostics by reliably pinpointing disease biomarkers in breath samples. By merging principles of biology with modern sensor technology, we are paving the way for a future where artificial noses rival the sophistication of their natural counterparts.

This research is just the beginning. As we continue to refine bioinspired strategies, we move closer to developing highly sensitive, adaptable, and reliable electronic noses capable of transforming numerous fields, from healthcare to environmental science.

Haritosh Patel is a PhD candidate in the Aizenberg Lab at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, working in collaboration with the Murthy Lab.

Learn more in the original research article:
Design Principles From Natural Olfaction for Electronic Noses
Patel H, Garrido Portilla V, Shneidman AV, Movilli J, Alvarenga J, Dupré C, Aizenberg M, Murthy VN, Tropsha A, Aizenberg J. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Jan 21:e2412669