Electronic nose puts police detection dogs to the test

A pilot study examined if an electronic nose, named NOS.E, could aid police detection dogs in locating buried human remains. Dr. Amber O. Brown, a UTS Ph.D. graduate, explained that while cadaver detection dogs are highly effective, the specific smells they identify remain unclear. The electronic nose aimed to provide an objective measure of whether dogs were properly trained and alerting to the right odors.

During the study, NOS.E sampled scents from a clandestine grave where remains had been buried for over three months, while police dogs independently searched the site. The electronic nose detected various decomposition stages through real-time odor measurements, potentially helping trainers determine if dogs were responding to early or later decomposition stages.

Associate Professor Maiken Ueland emphasized that while dogs are excellent at their job, the exact chemical compounds they detect are still unknown. The electronic nose could serve as a complementary tool, offering insights into the chemical signals dogs detect and enabling safe searches in hazardous environments. The researchers plan to conduct a larger, longer-term study to validate these findings and establish rigorous controls to ensure the technology's reliability.