Engineers have been successful in creating sensors that detect specific smells. But when it comes to replicating the entire discriminating ability of a nose - well, that's nothing to sniff at.
But a Palo Alto entrepreneur believes it can be done.
— From Can a computer have a sense of smell? in the San Franciso Chronicle, with thanks to inkdarkmoon for the link!
For anyone in the UK this reminds me of a sketch from last week's Mitchell & Webb where an ex-robot technician turned soup chef lost his sense of smell built a robot who could smell for him. Unfortunately the robot could only smell petrol and cheese and would often get the two confused. Resulting in the robot trying to kill itself by covering itself with melted cheese and trying to set it alight.
I guess you had to be there really…
LOL — I'm afraid it is lost on me