AI Institute from Novi Sad Developing Technology for Artificial Sense of Smell

The Research and Development Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia is working on an electronic nose which provides the machine with the sense of smell and can thereby be of help in the economy.

The junior research assistant at the institute Savo Icagic says that the inspiration comes from the biological systems of animals and people and that this has been worked on for the past 50 years.

– The idea is to use something similar to what exists in the nose. In fact, various receptors for various smells which the brain then processes and creates a perception of them. Similar to that is the use of a range of gas sensors, and each of them has an affinity toward certain gases. By applying various methods, the computer arrives at the perception of a smell. It used to be that statistical methods were used, and now we are approaching this with artificial intelligence methods. In other works, we want to create that perception of smell. When I say smell, I don’t mean the classic smell of fruit, or a perfume, but the qualitative composition of the gases. It could be useful in the economy, because, in the multitude of processes in production, a whole range of gases is released, and they can indicate a certain state of that process – Icagic clarified.

As he clarified, a pilot-experiment was carried out with the Fruit Research Institute in Cacak. This has to do with the implementation of an electronic nose in the process of the production of alcoholic drinks, concretely, the process of fermentation.

– When we put in an ingredient rich with sugar, due to the activity of the yeast, a basic conversion from sugar into carbon and ethanol happens. In addition to that, there is a whole range of metabolic byproducts that produce specific aromas and flavors in the final product. Certain bacteria may develop in that whole process, so acidic fermentation can take place. This not only hampers the productivity of the process, but also spoils the taste and the quality of the end-product, so the basic idea is to follow that process at the beginning, and we plan to detect these unwanted states with the help of an electronic nose – our interviewee said.

The advantage compared to the classic methods, as he clarified, lies in the fact that small producers work by experience, follow that process with the help of parameters, all of which requires sampling, workforce and so on. This approach would enable a non-invasive, automated and remote following of the process based on the analysis of those gases alone.

– Modern artificial intelligence methods require a relatively large set of data. With further research and the collection of more data, more advanced models can be made. We have based our research on the production of rakija, because this part of Europe gravitates toward the production of strong alcoholic drinks. There is research and it can be used for the production of wine and beer, but there is not enough research for rakija, and we are there to cover that part of the research – Icagic says.

Savo Icagic completed his bachelor and master studies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade and is currently doing his Ph.D. studies. He has continued his work and research at the Institute, because an opportunity presented itself for him to work in a domain that he finds interesting, he says.

The Research and Development Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Novi Sad researches the application of AI in various fields. This institution was founded in 2021 with the aim of upgrading the field of artificial intelligence in the region. There are five research groups at the institute, in which young researchers work.

Sensors and additional components

The device is the size of a hand. It is, in fact, a gas compartment with sensors and additional components.

All this is connected to a computer which collects the data and processes them using various modules.

Istraživačko-razvojni Institut za veštačku inteligenciju Srbije Novi Sad

Institut za voćarstvo Čačak

Savo Ičagić

AI nose

sense of smell

artificial intelligence