New Device “Sniffs” Poop to Diagnose Colon Diseases

A recent Digital Trends article reported on a new technology capable of diagnosing of colon-related illnesses in a quick and non-invasive way. Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the La Fe Health Investigation Institute in Spain developed the device, which is dubbed the Moosy32 eNose. It’s composed of special sensors that can detect certain volatile organic compounds that act as diagnostic markers, which are then fed into an algorithm that determines the diagnosis.

To date, the team has used the sniffing device on 445 samples with close to 90% accuracy. It can also be sued to determine the severity of the disease. In the future, the researchers behind the eNose hope to expand its capabilities to diagnose prostate cancer, identify microbial contamination in water, and even assess the ripeness of fruit.