Essentials of Machine Olfaction and Taste

Book Preface

This book introduces the current technologies related to machine olfaction and taste, which is expected to become key technologies of human interface. The handbook of this field was published more than 10 years ago, and since then, many new technologies have been developed.

One of the new trends in the sensing field is the olfactory biosensor, utilizing olfactory receptors in a living body. Moreover, an olfactory display to present scents to a human is relatively new. In the field of taste sensors, many applications have accumulated. These important technologies have emerged during the last decade.

Thus, it is necessary to review this field thoroughly and to describe it systematically for both beginners and experts. This allows novices to learn the basics and experienced researchers and engineers to learn about the state of the art of machine olfaction and taste systematically.

This book can cover the entire range of artificial chemical sense including both olfaction and taste in a modernized way. We divide the field of machine olfaction and taste into six categories: biological matter, odor sensing technology, taste sensing technology, pattern recognition, mobile robots with olfaction, and olfactory display together with odor recorders. Thus, readers can separately learn each area from the basic to the latest research.

The primary audience of this book are people in academia and industries such as electronics, computer science, chemistry, and biology. Especially, people related to multimodal interface in virtual reality or human interface might find cues for their research or commercial products. Moreover, people in academia and industries such as communications, agriculture, medicine, advertisement, and entertainment might find this book beneficial. This book is written with the intention to be a “modern bible” and guide of machine olfaction and taste.

Takamichi Nakamoto