Robot drug detectors could replace Dutch police sniffer dogs

The Dutch police plan to eventually replace their drug- and bomb sniffing dogs with drug- and bomb sniffing robots. The E-Nose is a so-called nano-sensor that can detect chemical and explosive substances, AD reports.

According to the newspaper, a study by the University of Twente commissioned by the Ministry of Security and Justice shows that the police have major problems with detecting synthetic drugs and drug laboratories. The police make use of sniffer dogs on a daily basis, but training these dogs is an expensive and time consuming operation.

The police are in need of a "portable detection device" for these cases. And the E-Nose is the solution, according to the study.

The development of the E-Nose is still in its infancy and the device does not actually exist for use yet. So it will be at least 10 more years before the police can retire their sniffer dogs, according to the newspaper.