Electronic Noses for Biomedical Applications and Environmental Monitoring

Abstract

Electronic noses are bioinspired instruments that mimic the biological sense of smell. They are based on the use of gas sensors or biosensors combined with pattern recognition methods. Both topics have experienced great advances in the last few years: Chemical sensors have improved their metrological parameters, such as the limit of detection, the linearity of the response signal, sensitivity, selectivity, response time and repeatability. The second involved the development of advanced embedded or remote signal and data analysis techniques, including big data and cloud computing. One of the main advantages of the use of electronic noses is the reduced cost, size and they are easy to use, compared to traditional measurement systems, without the need for prior separation of the particular components of a gaseous mixture, which significantly reduces the time for a single analysis. For these reasons, the area of possible applications of electronic olfaction has been increasing over time. This Special Issue is devoted to the most recent technical developments in the area of electronic nose technology, including their design, the chemical sensors and biosensors used, instrumentation systems for laboratory or field monitoring, personal systems and wearables, innovative data processing techniques and also their implementation, in particular for biomedical applications and environmental monitoring.