’Smellicopter’ uses moth antenna to locate odor source

PhD student Melanie Anderson and team from the University of Washington has developed Smellicopter: a drone that uses a live antenna from a moth to navigate its way toward a smell. Smellicopter can also sense and avoid obstacles as it travels, and is programmed to move upwind, tracking odors to their source. In the future, a Smellicopter could be used to detect hidden explosives, gas leaks, or to look at agricultural crops.