A dog’s nose is incredibly sensitive – and odour contains information. Now artificial intelligence is being used to build electronic noses that can sniff out complex smells, including diseases. In the latest episode of BBC Technology programme Tech Life, presenter Chris Vallance visits a company that is training machines to detect illness by scent.
The technology mimics the canine ability to identify subtle chemical signatures in the air. Using AI, these devices are being refined to pick out the specific odours associated with disease – a task that could transform early diagnosis.
“AI trains electronic noses to sniff out diseases, BBC Tech Life reports from company lab.”
Also in the programme, Shiona McCallum travels to Paris to examine tech designed to improve our understanding of sleep. Meanwhile, Liv McMahon joins Chris Vallance on a walk in a park to try one of several bird identification apps that are proving especially popular with younger users.
The episode, produced by Tom Quinn, is available for over a year. It aired on 21 July 2026 and runs for 26 minutes.
The promise of electronic noses goes far beyond novelty. If machines can learn to sniff out disease as reliably as a dog, the implications for healthcare could be profound – though the technology is still being developed in labs like the one Vallance visited.