WANA (Dec 23) – In a significant technological breakthrough, an Iranian researcher couple has designed and built an Internet of Things (IoT)-based electronic nose capable of identifying food fraud by recording odor patterns similar to fingerprints.

 

Erfan Dehghan, a researcher at the University of Tehran, announced the development of the innovative device—known as an “electronic nose”—in collaboration with his wife, Donya Farajzadeh, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering.

 

Dehghan explained that the device electronically simulates the human sense of smell. Using an array of sensors, it measures various gases such as nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and others. Every substance—such as an apple or garlic—has a unique odor profile formed by a specific combination of these gases.

 

By employing 10 sensors, the device records and stores numerical data for each smell, creating a distinctive “fingerprint” that allows accurate identification of different materials.

Iranian Team Unveils Low-Cost IoT Electronic Nose. Social media/ WANA News Agency

He added that the system is designed on an IoT platform and can be remotely controlled via a mobile application. All measurement charts and graphs are displayed in real time through the app, enabling users to monitor results easily.

 

According to Dehghan, the primary applications of the electronic nose are in the food industry. The device can detect spoiled oil, identify food adulteration through changes in odor, monitor chemical processes in food products, and even detect narcotics. Several scientific papers have already been published using this device, focusing on fraud detection and odor variation analysis.

 

Dehghan emphasized that this is the first electronic nose of its kind developed in Iran and is based on their joint academic thesis. Both prototype and semi-industrial versions of the product are ready for sale. The system has a modular design, allowing individual sensor modules to be replaced without affecting overall performance.

 

In conclusion, Dehghan noted that similar foreign-made devices are priced between 200 and 300 million tomans (approximately USD 1,600 to USD 2,400 at an estimated free-market exchange rate of 125,000 tomans per U.S. dollar), while the Iranian-made version has a production cost of about 40 million tomans (around USD 320 at the same market rate), making it a significantly more affordable alternative.