Airbus to install smell sensors to detect explosives on passengers

Starting in the fourth quarter of 2020, Airbus will begin using a new odor detector in airports to help screen passengers for dangerous chemicals.

The new device is being developed in partnership with Koniku, a California startup that designs computer chips with integrated biological cells.

The new program will place "genetically engineered odorant receptors" from Koniku in Airbus planes and airports to help identify explosives and other potentially hazardous materials.

'We have developed a technology that can detect smell — it's breathing the air, and it's essentially telling you what's in the air,' Koniku founder Oshiorenoya Agabi told the Financial Times.

According to Airbus, the sensors are planned for preliminary public testing by the end of the year in airport screening areas, and could later be phased into regular use on planes themselves.