The Robots are coming for your Whiskey and Wine.
At least not to drink it, but rather to smell it.
A Robotic Nose scientifically anointed as NOS.E has been programmed to smell out counterfeit whiskies and apparently are much more accurate than skilled Sommeliers.
Developed in Australia by the UTS (University of Technology, Sydney), this modern day marvel can effectively sample whiskeys and identify key characteristics including brand, origin, and authenticity.
Human sommeliers, as much as we love them and (sometimes) love to hate them, cannot be 100% accurate.
NOS.E attempts to replicate a human olfactory system using eight gas sensors to identify aromatic molecules inside a vial of whiskey.
Our Australian researchers tested their proud creation on six whiskies – three blended malts and three single malt whiskies. NOSE.E was able to detect differences between the whiskies with 100% accuracy, in regards to region, 96.15% accuracy for brand name and 92.31% accuracy for style.
Lab tests like gas chromatography and mass spectrometry delivered similar results, according to researchers.
Future iterations of NOS.E could apply across other beverages particularly wine and cognac.
Image credit https://robotsdrinking.tumblr.com/post/146185893527
