Finite Element Simulation of a Biomimetic Olfactory Microsystem for Spatio-temporal Signal Generation

Abstract

The sense of smell is a powerful biological tool although it is the least understood. Attempts to mimic this feature over the last two decades have resulted in the creation of the electronic nose. In comparison to the biological system, its ability to distinguish complex odours is poor. This has mainly been attributed to the lack of sensors and their diversity compared to the human in the order of 105 and 102 respectively. In our efforts to improve the performance of the electronic nose, here we have used a different approach using a unique feature of the biological olfactory system. This technique is analogous to a multi-dimensional gas chromatography (MD-GC) technique that is capable in generating spatial and temporal signals to aid odour discrimination. As the physical realisation requires expensive and time consuming micro- nano fabrication processes, finite element method simulations have been used to validate the proposed design and aid optimisation. This paper describes the finite element modelling process and compares these simulation results to that of the well-established analytical model. Preliminary results of the optimised system are also presented; these results are in good agreement to the simulated outputs. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.