After analyzing samples -8 thirteen men and 5 women, scientists found that there are consistent patterns in an individual odor. Although the error rate is high, 15%, compared to more reliable as taking a fingerprint or iris, Gonzalo del Pozo Dancer analysis coordinator assures the world that "a refinement in the sensors and algorithms could serve as a new method to identify individuals ".
But how the smell of a person is captured? Gonzalo explains that "there is a sensor in the hot air pipe that extracts the smell of hand. Because it has a mass spectrometer [a machine to analyze the chemical composition of various elements], the analysis is based on identifying the amount of each compound and the relationship between them. "
The odor samples were collected on different days and at different hours-28 meetings in total as "body odor can be affected by many different factors such as nutrition, metabolism of the person, their mood and even some diseases ", explains the researcher.
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The tube hot air in the sensor extracts the smell of the hand | UPM
Dancer mind that people did not perform any physical exercise plus all previously had to wash their hands to prevent signals from perfumes or creams. "The effect of this type of cosmetics will be discussed in future revisions of the project," he says.
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A noninvasive technique
The authors of the research, which was born three years ago, say thanks to improved sensors have been able to obtain more reliable data. "This is the last experiment has been carried out after refining the sensor. Other previous campaigns gave problems that occurred in the measurement method. Sometimes instead of measuring body odor picked small samples of air in the room, thereby losing reliability, "acknowledges Gonzalo.
After analyzing the results, the success rate was 85%, while the error of 15%. The scientist found that this figure is promising because if advancements and improvements occur in the sensors, this technique would not be invasive identification. People only have to go through a booth at the airport -instalada or other positions fronterizo- control in which sensors would be integrated.
Several years before joining
However, implementation of this technology still take several years. In fact, for Cabadillo Arturo Alvaro, one of the members of the company SEADM SM has participated in improving the sensor, "it is frankly difficult to implement a new system in a normalized system such as control of airport security. The equipment used usually have to go through a lengthy certification process for the end user (the police control in this case) can access if you want to purchase one of them. "
In addition, the expert notes that the ethical issues, such as invasion of privacy, you may also hinder the implementation of such systems: "In this type of project, I would say that technology is not the limiting factor. If devote the necessary resources, needed to implement a system of olfactory recognition technology could be ready within a few months or perhaps years, but a system of this type takes in the best several years to be used. "
