Smart Nanotubes provides an artificial olfaction platform based on a semiconducting carbon‑nanotube chemiresistor chip with 16 selective detection channels in a 23 × 12 mm package. The modular board aggregates four chips, runs on‑board AI inference using a digital smell library, and streams classified odor data via UART/I²C with micro‑watt power consumption and operation from –20 °C to +70 °C.
Funding
$2.7M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Current gas detection technologies rely on bulky, power‑hungry sensors with limited selectivity, making it difficult to reliably identify specific chemicals or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in safety, health, agricultural, and robotic applications.
Solution
Smart Nanotubes offers an artificial olfaction platform built around a semiconducting carbon‑nanotube (CNT) chemiresistor chip (smell.iX16) that provides 16 highly selective detection channels in a 23 × 12 mm package. The sensor operates at micro‑watt power levels and functions across –20 °C to +70 °C, enabling deployment in constrained environments. An accompanying plug‑in module (smell.Board) aggregates four iX16 chips, performs on‑board AI inference using a digital smell library, and streams classified odor data via UART or I²C to host systems. This combination delivers molecular‑level gas identification with real‑time readout (every 1.8 s) while maintaining a lightweight, low‑cost form factor suitable for mass‑market integration.
Target Audience
Primary customers are OEMs and system integrators developing safety and security detectors, medical monitoring devices, precision agriculture sensors, and humanoid or service robots that require reliable, low‑power olfactory sensing.
Features
- CNT‑based chemiresistor sensor array with 16 independent channels for simultaneous multi‑gas detection
- Ultra‑low power consumption (≈1 µW per chip) and 0.1 g weight, supporting battery‑operated and edge devices
- Operating temperature range from –20 °C to +70 °C, with high sensitivity to a broad spectrum of gases and VOCs
- Modular smell.Board host containing four iX16 detectors, providing full signal acquisition and AI‑driven odor classification on‑board
- Real‑time readout of all channels every 1.8 seconds, delivered over standard UART and I²C interfaces for easy integration
- Embedded AI software and a curated digital smell library that translate raw sensor data into recognizable odor signatures
- Compact dimensions (smell.iX16: 23 × 12 mm; smell.Board: 80 × 50 × 12 mm) facilitating incorporation into consumer, industrial, and robotic hardware
- Robust construction using Kapton® foil, particle filter, and compliant materials for durability in harsh environments