A new hardware approach to realize low-cost electronic noses

In this paper, a new approach to realize low-cost electronic noses is presented. Particularly, a novel instrument to manage high-value resistive sensors varying over a wide range, from kiloOhms to gigaOhms, is discussed. It is a modular architecture which takes advantage from an improved resistance-to-period converter (RPC), where sensors are DC powered. Relative standard deviation is below 0.01% and relative displacement to the reference line is less than 1% over six decades if commercial resistors are considered. A prototype has been realized to manage up to eight sensors, qualify and quantify substances and communicate results to Internet