Sophisticated electronic nose

Based at the School of Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nakamoto is building a range of gadgets and sensors which sniff, mix and reproduce a wide range of scents. One of the most ambitious devices his team has built is a sophisticated "odour recorder" which can sniff an object and then reproduce its smell using a host of chemicals. If you present the recorder with an apple, for example, the electronic nose will take a "sniff", analyse the odour and then draw up a recipe of chemicals needed to recreate it.When you want to replay the scent, the device mixes the ingredients and pumps the smell of apples back at you.

Source: news.bbc.co.ukAdded: 3 November 2006