USMA-West Point

Current state-of-the-art inorganic hardware sensors for biological and chemical agent detection are highly tailored for specific chemicals and cannot be used to detect compounds outside of a highly defined analyte set. With the growing threat of chemical and biological warfare, new diseases, and food borne pathogens, there is an increased need for rapid and sensitive recognition to identify such agents. Olfaction, or the sense of smell, is a detailed and nuanced selection process that organisms employ to detect and discriminate thousands of possible odorants.