According to a campus news report from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) on September 19, scientists at the university are developing a portable device that can “sniff out the world” to detect explosives, drugs, and hazardous chemicals.
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Peter Burke, mentioned that the team is working to merge the precision of natural olfaction with microelectronic technology to create a handheld device capable of instantly detecting explosive residues at crime scenes, harmful chemicals in the air after industrial leaks, and illegal drugs attempting to enter the postal system.
Their goal is to develop an “electronic nose” that can react to trace amounts of chemicals—even if they differ by just one carbon atom. Burke stated, “Combining advanced technology with the evolution of olfactory receptor proteins over millions of years allows us the possibility of achieving detection at the single molecule level, even able to accurately distinguish analytes with just a one-carbon atom difference.”
According to the university report, this electronic nose has the potential to revolutionize public safety, manufacturing, environmental protection, and medical diagnostics.
This project gained momentum after receiving a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2022, enabling Burke and his collaborator Francesco Tombola to make breakthroughs in developing ultra-sensitive chemical sensors.
While this approach is still in the conceptual stage, it has already been patented. Future sensors may evolve into large-scale parallel sensing arrays, with each chip containing hundreds of different odor-detecting elements.
Doctoral candidate Sangjun Noh from Burke’s laboratory is taking the “electronic nose” project outside the lab to explore its real-world impact. According to UCI, Noh has conducted over 12 interviews with researchers, lab managers, and safety officers, confirming the urgent need for real-time chemical sensing to enhance safety and prevent contamination.
However, this technology still needs to transition from concept to deployable systems. This means scientists must integrate multiple sensors onto a single chip and ensure their stability in real-world settings. The research team emphasizes that these devices must be cost-effective and scalable for production.