Smellicopter uses moth antenna to detect volatile chemicals

Researchers are interested in developing devices that can help in these dangerous situations, but most sensors are not sensitive or fast enough to find and process specific odours while flying through the patchy plumes these sources create.

Cockroach-inspired robot squeezes into rescue missions

The Smellicopter from a team led by the University of Washington uses the live antenna from a Manduca sexta hawkmoth to navigate toward odours. Smellicopter can reportedly sense and avoid obstacles as it travels through the air and the team’s results are published in IOP Bioinspiration & Biomimetics.

"Nature really blows our human-made odour sensors out of the water," said lead author Melanie Anderson, a UW doctoral student in mechanical engineering. "By using an actual moth antenna with Smellicopter, we're able to get the best of both worlds: the sensitivity of a biological organism on a robotic platform where we can control its motion."