Airbus plans to test an “electronic nose” device that uses biological cells to mimic what bomb-sniffing dogs can do.
The company will deploy jellyfish-shaped sensors (see photo © Airbus), developed by Silicon Valley start-up Koniku, in several airport control tunnels later in 2020.
This technology uses silicon processors reinforced by living cells. “We have developed a technology that is able to detect the smell - it's the breathing of the air, and it basically tells you what's in the air,” said Koniku founder Oshiorenoya. Agabi, at the Financial Times. “What we do is take biological cells, either Hek cells or astrocytes - brain cells - and we genetically modify them to have scent receptors.”
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are also looking for ways to detect biological risks like contagious viruses. Koniku touted safety as well as medical applications, with sniffers that can detect signs of cancer - the same way dogs can detect prostate cancer with pinpoint accuracy. “You wake up in the morning, you breathe on our device… and we analyze, in a longitudinal way, your state of health. This is one of our great visions, ”said Mr. Agabi.
Devices that are supposed to test travelers for traces of dangerous chemicals have met with only very limited success, so it's easy to be skeptical of any new technology. However, the fact that it is tested by Airbus is a good sign for Koniku, a relatively small company with only 20 employees. Airbus has been working with Koniku since 2017 and said they plan to create “a game-changing end-to-end security solution”.
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