When you take your dog for a walk, does he stop to sniff every tree trunk and patch of grass he sees, leaving you to wonder what smells so enticing? Scientists have also wondered, although not the trivial lawn fodder, what pups’ sensitive noses pick up to help detect drugs or disease.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and neurotechnology company Canaery are collaborating to develop an advanced “nose-computer interface” (NCI) that aims to enhance the ability of scent-detection animals. The NCI will focus on improving the identification of contraband substances like narcotics.
Travis Massey shows the implantable device developed with Canaery for implantation in the olfactory bulb. (Photo: Blaise Douros/LLNL)
The initiative seeks to address limitations in current drug detection methods, which heavily rely on dogs and other scent-detection animals. While effective, these methods are subject to handler influence, animal fatigue, and potential error.
This advanced neural interface technology involves implanting an electronic device to read olfactory signals directly from a scent-detection animal’s brain. This device then translates these signals into a format that a computer can interpret. LLNL contributes its expertise in fabricating flexible neural interfaces and biocompatible packaging, while Canaery focuses on enabling human-readable identification of scents detected by animals. Staff research engineer Travis Massey leads the nanofabrication of the implantable device within LLNL’s Implantable Microsystems Group. The project commenced under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) through LLNL’s Innovation and Partnership Office (IPO).
“We’re pleased to be working with Canaery on developing high-density, high-channel-count neural interfaces for this innovative nose-computer interface technology,” said Travis Massey, LLNL research engineer on the laboratory’s webpage. “This is a new application that we’re interested in, and we’re excited about aligning our capabilities and Canaery’s technology with the Lab’s larger national security mission. This array, with hundreds of electrodes per square millimeter, is significantly denser than anything we’ve fabricated before, and that makes it really exciting.”
Potential impact and considerations for law enforcement and Security
While the “nose-computer interface” can potentially transform drug detection, its development and implementation present promising benefits and significant challenges.
Potential benefits
This technology may offer several advantages over current methods. It promises enhanced accuracy by potentially providing a more objective and reliable measure of a scent-detection animal’s perception of narcotics, thereby reducing the risk of false positives or negatives. In addition, it may improve efficiency by automating the analysis of olfactory signals and streamlining the drug detection process. These improvements could pave the way for new applications in settings beyond traditional drug interdiction, such as border security, airport screening, and postal inspection, and simultaneously identify other contraband, such as explosives.
Challenges and considerations
Despite these potential benefits, several hurdles must be addressed. The invasiveness of implanting an electronic device into an animal’s brain raises significant ethical concerns regarding animal welfare. Furthermore, the technology needs to demonstrate a high degree of accuracy and reliability in identifying different narcotics under varying conditions. Another practical concern is cost-effectiveness, as the development, manufacturing, and deployment costs must be competitive with existing drug detection methods. Additionally, there are matters of regulation and acceptance; further research into the ethics, regulations, and public perception of this technology may be required before it can be widely utilized, along with bias, since the technology may vary in efficiency when detecting certain narcotics over others.
Technical details
The neural interface developed with Canaery involved nanofabrication micro-electrocorticography arrays and high-density interconnects for polymer bioelectronic devices. It aimed to create a 767-channel microelectrode array capable of digitizing olfactory signals from the brain. The effort extends LLNL’s current manufacturing capabilities, as the lab’s first neural interface was created using a new high-density nanofabrication process using electron beam lithography.
Future research and development
Ongoing research will focus on refining the NCI’s hardware and software and conducting rigorous testing to evaluate its performance in real-world scenarios. The researchers are also exploring potential applications of the technology beyond drug detection, such as identifying explosives, detecting diseases, and monitoring environmental hazards.
Overall, developing this “nose-computer interface” represents a significant advancement in scent-detection technology. While numerous challenges remain, the potential benefits for law enforcement and security are considerable. Addressing ethical concerns and ensuring that the technology is used responsibly and effectively are essential as research progresses.
