Dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell, and that gift is now being translated into machines. With the help of artificial intelligence, electronic 'noses' are learning to sniff out complex odours – including diseases. The BBC's Tech Life programme visited a company developing this technology, where Chris Vallance saw firsthand how machines are being trained to detect sickness through scent.
The principle is simple: odour contains information. Just as a dog can tell when a person is ill, so too might a machine. Engineers are building devices that mimic canine olfaction, using AI to identify the subtle chemical signatures of disease. The potential payoff is huge: early detection of conditions such as cancer, infections or metabolic disorders, all from a single breath.
“BBC Tech Life explores how AI-powered electronic noses are being trained to detect diseases, inspired by dogs' keen sense of smell.”
But the show did not stop at the nose. Shiona McCallum was in Paris reporting on technology that helps us understand sleep – how sensors and algorithms can track rest, measure its quality and perhaps improve it. Meanwhile, Liv McMahon joined Chris on a walk in a park to test one of many bird identification apps that have become popular, especially with younger users. The apps use sound and image recognition to name birds on the wing, turning a simple stroll into a naturalist's treasure hunt.
Presenter Chris Vallance and producer Tom Quinn packed all this into a single episode of Tech Life, underscoring a wider trend: the boundaries of what machines can detect and understand are expanding rapidly. From the silent cues of illness to the songs of birds, AI is learning to interpret the world in ways we are only beginning to grasp.