MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Without opening a car’s trunk, a security robot identified an explosive at Miami International Airport, as part of a simulation on Wednesday morning.
Florida International University’s Kenneth G. Furton said the Boston Dynamics robot had an Alakai Defense Systems laser that can identify chemicals.
Furton, a world-leading scholar in the use of olfaction in forensic science, showed how a trained dog and the robot can work together outside MIA’s Concourse J.
“The idea is to combine dogs and sensors to help protect the community even better than we do now,” Furton said.
The simulation highlights advancements in machine olfaction, or electronic nose tech inspired by biology, which uses sensors to detect, analyze, and identify not only explosives, but also narcotics.
During the testing scenario by FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing, a police dog trained to detect explosives approached a parked sedan at MIA. After the red flag, the robot followed.
“The dog can tell you there is a bomb but not what kind of bomb it is,” Furton said.
After the robot approached the car’s trunk, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies received a message. There was ammonium nitrate, used in mining explosives.
With advancements in machine learning algorithms, researchers have also been testing robotic olfactory systems for industrial inspections, environmental monitoring, and even medical diagnostics.
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