The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine has demonstrated the effectiveness of Cyranose 320, an electronic nose device to diagnose pneumonia and sinusitis.

The e-nose compares “smellprints” from a patient’s breath sample to standardized or known readings stored on a computer chip. The Cyranose 320 is connected to a laptop to display the “readings” and inform the doctor of the eventual presence and nature of bacteria.

The e-nose has possible application to detect other illnesses such as: lung cancer, kidney disease and cirrhosis of the liver, otitis media (middle ear infections) in children, and the detection of chemicals and biological agents.

But in spite of its numerous qualities the e-nose it only 70 percent accurate, so there is still work to be done…

From New Stateman.