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send them to a computer. Electronic systems may be compared to the
nerve cells in the olfactory system, and the computer itself as an imitation
of the human brain. The computer is programmed to analyze data trans-
mitted to it, thanks to which it interprets the signals in binary code.
(Figure 22)
Electronic noses developed in this way are used in various sectors,
especially the food, perfume and chemical industries and medicine.
Universities and international organizations provide major backing for
such projects. Nonetheless, as stated by Julian W. Gardner of Warwick

University, “We're at the early stages of the technology” 107

A Comparison of the Human and Electronic
Noses
Scientists say that there no equivalent to the perception capacity of
the scent-sensitive cells in the nose. 108 Furthermore, some researchers
openly state the impossibility of developing an electronic device that can

fully duplicate the human nose. Edward J. Staples, an expert in electronic
sensor technology, is one who openly admits this. 109 Another scientist,
Professor W. James Harper, says, “An electronic nose is not a replacement
for people—it is a supplement” 110 emphasizing that the electronic nose
can only be an adjunct.
His statement may be expressed by an analogy: A camera cannot re-
place the eye, only support it. The relationship between the human nose
and its electronic counterpart is much the same.
George Aldrich, chemical specialist at NASA, stated in the 23 June,
2001, edition of New Scientist magazine that nothing could surpass the hu-

man nose. When asked why NASA did not use electrical equipment in ol-
factory tests, Aldrich’s replied, “. . . in my opinion, they don't come any-
where close to the range of the human nose. There's nothing better than

The Miracles of Smell and
Taste