Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
239718 Procedia Chemistry 2009 4 Pages PDF
Abstract

By exploiting recent advances in the understanding of both pheromone biosynthesis pathways and the detection of molecules in the insect nervous system, we are developing a new class of technology for biosynthetic infochemical communication. Here we present a prototype instrument that comprises an integrated chemotransmitter, an odour pathway and a chemoreceiver controlled by a laptop computer. Our initial studies show that the system can transmit, receive and decode a set of volatiles commonly found in fruits. The system is capable of ratiometrically encoding information by releasing complex blends of compounds in specific ratios, detecting the transmitted blends with a sensor array and decoding the infochemical information using neuromorphic algorithms representing ratio processing in the macroglomerular complex (MGC) of the antennal lobe of the moth (e.g. Manduca sexta).

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering (General)