Actually, there now is a unique robot known as WindSonic that will be able to do just that – to analyze fumes that are in the air, as well as to locate the source of gas. I guess with the WindSonic robot, there is now no need for one to place the blame on the poor dog whenever someone lets loose a fart! This robot is the brainchild of Chinese scientists, where it will make use of a ‘novel odor source localisation algorithm’ in order to analyze fumes that are in the air.
While it might sound childish for such an application, it also has other more serious uses, such as being able to detect dangerous gas leaks in a quicker and more efficient manner. A robot with a sensitive nose, now this is definitely a novelty!