An Artificial Olfaction System Formed by a Massive Sensors Array Dispersed in a Diffusion Media and an Automatically Formed Glomeruli Layer

Optical imaging is a read‐out technique for sensors that can easily provide advances in artificial olfaction implementing features such as the large number of receptors and the glomeruli layer. In this paper an artificial olfaction system based on the imaging of a continuous layer of chemical indicators is illustrated. The system results in an array of thousands of sensors, corresponding to the pixels of the image. The choice of Computer Screen Photoassisted Technology as a platform for optical interrogation of the sensing layer allows for the definition of a strategy for an automatic definition of the glomeruli layer based on the classification of the optical fingerprints of the image pixels. Chemical indicators are dissolved into a polymeric matrix mimicking the functions of the olfactory mucosa. The system is here illustrated with a simple experiment. Data are treated applying a lateral inhibition to the glomeruli layer resulting in a dynamic pattern resembling that observed in natural olfaction.