QualSec
QualSec - The Industry Leader in Electronic Olfactory Sensing Devices
Situation
As we gallop forward in this era of globalization, it has become abundantly clear that many of the benefits provided by this new era can have adverse side effects. The millions that flood our borders bring expanded opportunities for us all, but some can also carry pathogens and pestilence. Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis are becoming commonplace. The supply chain mechanisms which allow us to eat fresh fruit during Christmas can easily turn against us and fill our country’s supermarkets with tainted and deadly produce. The products with which we surround ourselves create dangerous pollution in their manufacturing and disposal. The healthcare system on which we all rely is overburdened and inefficient. The airplanes which allow us to easily travel the world can be transformed into missiles or turbocharged transmitters of disease. These situations illustrate a glaring need for a simple and effective detection device that can alleviate some of these problems. This solution can be found in QualSec’s ROder technology, also known as NanoNose (QualSec symbol QLSC).
Today, industries rely on outdated sensory panel and gas chromatography (GC) to assess the quality of products or the detection of dangerous substances. Both techniques have major drawbacks. Sensory panels are too subjective, while GC is extremely slow and needs skilled operators for the interpretation of data. This is why there is a need for a fast, simple and objective technique: a device which has the olfactory sensitivity of a K-9, yet is as mobile and easy to use as a typical DVD player.
Over the past 25 years, many companies and university research departments have tried to develop an artificial nose. Past approaches were limited by both technology and cost, and in the end these attempts were unable to produce an effective artificial electronic nose or “E-Nose” device. The sensors were not only cumbersome, unreliable and difficult to control, they were also slow and very expensive to operate.
Solution
Today’s world dictates the immediate need for a small hand-held NanoNose device which can provide a simple solution at a reasonable price. Immigration agents will be able to scan travelers for infectious disease at the point of entry. The country’s food suppliers will be able to scan inventory and stop dangerous or contaminated products from reaching the consumer. Potentially harmful pollution will be easily detected at the point of emission. Hospitals and clinics around the country will be able to replace invasive, costly, and slow examinations with noninvasive, cost effective, and rapid exams. And finally, our nation’s airports will be able to easily and cheaply detect explosive chemicals, many of which cannot be traced by current explosives-detection technology.
QualSec is developing a low-cost, universal sensor suitable for a variety of applications. The hand-held unit can be customized for each particular use, including the analysis of data and the display of results. The device will be able to detect a wide array of particulates, and it will be highly sensitive and reliable. The level of detection appears to supersede that of highly trained detection canines, the current gold standard in detection technology, but without the inefficiencies or costs associated with maintaining specially-trained dogs. The device’s unique design enables previously unheard-of functionality in detection equipment. QualSec’s ROder NanoNose technology can discriminate target odors in the presence of interfering background odors, is resistant to temperature and humidity variations, and delivers results in seconds. Finally, a company has developed an electronic olfactory instrument which will address the issues of sensitivity, portability, affordability, and other immediate, unmet needs in the homeland security market with near-term applications in other high volume markets including the healthcare, environmental, petrochemical, and food industries. QualSec’s NanoNose will revolutionize the use of electronic sensors.
