Small chemical sensorsNASA develops chemical-detection app for iPhone
NASA’s Homeland Security Cell-All program has developed an intriguing application to Apple’s phone in the form of a stamp-sized chemical sniffing device; the prototype chemical sensor can sniff small amounts of chemicals like methane, ammonia, and chlorine gas
iPhone boasts more than 100,000 applications. Some of them are of questionable value — for example, an app that helps you calculate how much time you invest each week brushing your teeth. This app will be useful. Ariel Schwartz writes in Inhabitat that researchers at NASA’s Homeland Security Cell-All program has brought the latest intriguing application to Apple’s phone in the form of a stamp-sized chemical sniffing device. The prototype chemical sensor can sniff small amounts of chemicals like methane, ammonia, and chlorine gas.
NASA’s cheap, low-power device senses chemicals with help from a “sample jet” and a silicon-based sensing chip that has sixteen nanosensors. Once detection data is confirmed, the phone can send it on to any other device — or the government — via Wi-Fi.
Schwartz notes that there are a number of uses for the chemical sensor: it could provide early information on a chemical attack, confirm suspicions of methane emissions from local factories, or just give users information about the chemicals present in their everyday environments.
The chemical sniffer is not NASA’s first foray into iPhone apps. The agency recently debuted an app that aggregates and sends recent information, pictures, and video from NASA to the user’s phone.
