New Machine can detect Drugs like Dogs
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed machines that can “sniff” like dogs: “Dog on a Chip.” Presently they detect vapors emitted from cocaine, but there’s no reason they can’t be tuned for other purposes.
From a few feet away, the device can ’smell’ microscopic amounts of a particular substance – as little as one-trillionth of a gram. So far it’s only programmed to detect cocaine. But Hunt says it could be developed to sniff out other drugs, anthrax, bombs, chemical agents and even cancerous cells.
The machine is a rectangular plastic box slightly smaller than a phone book attached to a cube with a chip inside it that detects substances. Two antenna-like tubes protrude from the cube – one sucks in air, the other spits it out.
I can see it now: detectors at every post office door to “sniff” dangerous mail. Hospitals will use them to detect potential cancer patients. And of course, airport security will have them in several different varieties.