An electronic nose designed to analyse odours could help police assess the training and performance of human-remains detection dogs, according to a pilot study by researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The technology, known as NOS.E, was tested alongside police dogs to investigate whether it could detect buried human remains and help confirm the signals produced by the animals.
The study, published in PLOS One, examined a clandestine burial site in a long-term missing-person scenario involving human remains that had been buried for more than three months. While the dogs independently searched the site, the electronic nose sampled odours from the burial location and surrounding control areas.
Dr Amber O. Brown, the study’s lead author, who completed her PhD at UTS, said human-remains detection dogs are among the most effective tools for locating buried bodies. However, researchers still have limited knowledge of the specific chemical compounds that trigger their responses.
“This study tested whether an electronic nose could detect buried human remains and help confirm alerts made by human-remains detection dogs,” she said. “NOS.E allows us to take technology developed in the laboratory into the field, while giving law enforcement an objective way to assess whether dog training is working.”
Developed through collaboration between forensic science and engineering researchers at UTS, NOS.E is intended to provide measurable information about the chemical signals associated with decomposition. The researchers hope that combining this information with canine searches could help trainers better understand what detection dogs are identifying.
Analysing Decomposition Odours to Improve Dog Training
Training human-remains detection dogs presents a particular challenge because the smell of decomposing remains changes over time. According to Dr Brown, decomposition progresses through five distinct stages, each producing different odours at varying concentrations.
“That makes training much more complicated than teaching a dog to detect a relatively stable substance,” she said. “By tracking those chemical changes in real time, we may be able to identify whether dogs need more training on the earlier or later stages of decomposition.
“For younger dogs in particular, the technology could help trainers determine whether a dog is genuinely responding to decomposition odour or being influenced by another cue.”
An electronic nose could help address this uncertainty by identifying chemical patterns in the environment and showing whether decomposition-related odours are present, including in locations where a dog does not alert.
Associate Professor Maiken Ueland, director of the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER), said that although cadaver detection dogs are valuable forensic tools, their training involves unresolved questions about scent recognition.
“We don’t know exactly what they are smelling – whether it’s a single compound or a combination of compounds,” she said. “The electronic nose can provide greater certainty during training by showing whether decomposition odour is present in an area, including when a dog does not alert.”
The technology could therefore help trainers compare dogs’ responses with chemical measurements, potentially identifying gaps in training and improving understanding of how detection performance changes as remains decompose.
However, the researchers envisage NOS.E as a complementary tool rather than a substitute for trained dogs.
“Dogs have a superior sense of smell and can search an area rapidly, while the technology can tell us more about the chemicals being detected,” said Associate Professor Ueland. “The electronic nose can act as a bridge between the extraordinary scent picture available to a dog and the chemical signals that humans can measure and understand.
“In mass disasters or other hazardous environments, it may be too dangerous to send in people or dogs. The electronic nose could offer another option for searching those areas safely.”
Potential Applications in Forensic Investigations
Beyond supporting dog-training programmes, electronic nose technology could eventually contribute to forensic searches in difficult or hazardous environments. Chemical analysis may help investigators identify areas requiring further examination, while offering an additional source of information alongside canine detection.
The researchers also highlighted the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and law enforcement. Associate Professor Ueland said police identified the potential for the electronic nose to be used as a dog-training tool, an application the research team had not originally considered.
“Police identified the electronic nose’s potential as a dog-training tool – an application we hadn’t originally considered,” she said.
The current research remains a pilot study, and further investigation will be necessary to establish how reliably the technology can detect decomposition odours under different conditions. The team plans to expand the work through a larger, longer-term study involving more donors, additional dogs and repeated visits to research sites.
“Our next step is to expand this pilot into a larger, longer-term study involving multiple donors, more dogs and repeated site visits,” said Associate Professor Ueland. “The challenge will be maintaining rigorous controls, so dogs and handlers don’t become familiar with the site or receive unintended clues.”
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