Airbus is developing bomb-detecting 'electronic noses' that may one day sniff out viral disease

• Airbus is partnering with Silicon Valley biotech firm Koniku to introduce bomb-sniffing sensors to airports and aircraft that may be able to detect viruses such as COVID-19 one day, the Financial Times reported.
• The tech offers airports and aircraft an "electronic nose" that can detect explosives in the way that law enforcement-trained dogs currently do but on a larger scale.
• The "jellyfish-like" sensors can be affixed to airport terminal and aircraft surfaces for maximum coverage.
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Aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus is partnering with a small Silicon Valley biotech startup to deploy "electronic noses" in airports and on aircraft, the Financial Times first reported.

The sensors had the initial goal of detecting explosives but Airbus is aiming to repurpose the devices to one day also detect contagious viruses such as COVID-19, the manufacturer said on Monday.

Koniku Inc developed the potentially revolutionary sensors that can be affixed to surfaces both in airport terminals and aircraft, with the Financial Times referring to them as "jellyfish-like" in their appearance and ability to stick to surfaces. An Airbus rendition shows the devices can be placed on overhead bins at the front of the aircraft for increased detection.

"We have developed a technology that is able to detect smell — it's breathing the air, and it's essentially telling you what's in the air," Koniku founder Oshiorenoya Agabi told the Financial Times. "What we do is we take biological cells, either Hek cells or astrocytes — brain cells — and we genetically modify them to have olfactory receptors."

Odor detection plays a large role already in aviation security, with the task primarily entrusted to specially-trained dogs that scour luggage and passengers alike with the aim of finding explosives or illicit substances that emit odors undetectable to the human nose. The US Department of Homeland Security, for example, employs dogs at airports, border crossings, and seaports across the country.

While helpful to law enforcement, dogs have also been trained to detect various illnesses such as cancer, as the Financial Times pointed out, referring to a Harvard Medical School research finding.

Bomb plots are an increasingly rare aspect of aviation security but remain a lingering threat with three incidents in the past decade, one of which was successful in bringing down an airliner in 2015, according to CNN. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the potential virus-detecting aspect of the sensors may be helpful in instilling confidence in the traveling public.

The announcement comes as travelers grow increasingly wary of air travel due to COVID-19 and airlines begin to implement social distancing procedures on aircraft and some go as far as to mandate that their passengers wear masks when flying.

With travelers skeptical of returning to the skies, the evolution of the "electronic nose" could hasten the return of air travel to 2019 levels which most airlines say could take years. Since the beginning of the pandemic that's wreaked havoc on aviation, airlines have been testing ways of restoring confidence to travelers including highlighting new cleaning techniques and relaxing change and cancellation policies to get customers back in the air.

The two companies plan to begin live testing at airports towards the end of 2020.

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