A Nose-Computer Interface Could Turn Dogs Into Super Detectors

UF Innovate | Accelerate resident client Canaery is partnering with a US Department of Energy lab to develop neural implants for rats and dogs that are capable of decoding what they smell.

Thanks to their excellent smelling ability, dogs have been used for hundreds of years to hunt down wild game and search for criminals. At airports, they help identify explosives and illicit drugs. In disaster situations, they can rescue survivors and find human remains.

But each dog can only be trained to detect one class of odor compounds, which limits the range of smells it’s able to detect. Training costs tens of thousands of dollars and takes several months. For Florida startup Canaery, the solution is merging canines with neurotechnology to allow them to detect everything from bombs and other contraband to human diseases and environmental toxins—no specialized training needed.

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