Electronic Noses? December 30, 2008

Posted by Ryan at December 30, 2008 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack

TAGGED: dogs animal testing airports security noses

As you may or may not know, the armed forces have frequently "enlisted" dogs into intelligence and combat service, using them to find bombs and drugs — tasks that often endanger their lives. As is always the case, the authorities claimed that it was the best and most scientific way to seek these items, and as usual, they were wrong.

That's because Yushan Yan, a UC — Riverside professor, and his team, have created electronic bomb-sniffing technology, which is able to identify tiny amounts of explosives, hazardous materials, and even landmines. These "electronic noses" can easily be used at airports and in military operations.

This is just the latest in a series of technological advances that have helped take animals out of harmful situations (see "use of animals in crash tests" that PETA helped end at General Motors).

Unemployment is a big issue these days, but somehow I don't think these dogs will mind losing their fatal "jobs" once and for all.