ABSTRACT
Smell is a powerful tool in crime detection and prevention, most commonly demonstrated by the use of canine olfaction in screening and searching work. This chapter will examine briefly the importance of odour/vapour detection to the security practitioner and introduce the concept of the electronic or chemical nose – a chemical sensor modelled on the mammalian olfactory system that can supplement, or even work as an alternative to, canine use. The recent developments in chemical/electronic noses are reviewed, including discussion of metal-oxide gas sensors, ion mobility and solution-phase sensors, with particular reference to the field of explosives detection. The advantages, disadvantages and future challenges of such systems are discussed.
