This paper deals with the design of an electronic device aimed at the detection and characterization of volatile chemical substances, that is, an electronic nose (e-nose). We pursue the development of a versatile, multipurpose e-nose that can be employed for a wide variety of applications, can integrate heterogeneous sensing technologies, and can offer a mechanism to be customized for different requirements. To that end, we contribute with a fully configurable and decentralized e-nose architecture based on self-contained and intelligent sensor boards (i.e., modules). This design allows for the integration not only of heterogeneous gas sensor technologies, like MOX and AEC sensors, but also of other components, such as GPS or Bluetooth, for a total of up to 127 individual modules. We describe an implementation of a fully operative prototype as an illustrative example of its potential for sensor networks, mobile robotics, and wearable technologies, each using different combinations of sensors.
This work describes a real application of artificial olfaction where a handheld electronic nose was used as a validation tool for a chemical spillage in a southern town in Spain. The objective was to check if the palliative and precautionary measurements taken by the authorities were working effectively, removing the elevated values of phenol that were detected in a wide area of the municipality of Coria del Río (Spain). To this end, a gas distribution map of the affected neighborhoods was built with a portable electronic nose taking into consideration the likely presence of other volatile chemicals in the area. For the latter, we trained a volatile chemical classifier with a dataset of typical urban smells that we wanted to remove from the results (e.g. traffic emissions, garbage, fresh-air), as well as with a specific air-born phenol dataset. Results demonstrated that the palliative measures were in general satisfactory, but some hot-spots were located where the intensity of phenol-like smell was still higher than desired. Advice was given to the local authorities to doublecheck these locations with analytical gas-monitoring equipment.
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