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日本語

High-resolution odor sensor developed through industry-academia open innovation.

Mr. Kuroki explained that the next-generation silicon CMOS type odor sensor developed by Aroma Bit, Inc. and Toyohashi University of Technology is a sensor that digitizes odors, transforming them intohigh-resolution visual representations.

The sensor is comprised of a odor receptor film developed by Aroma Bit, which absorbs and desorbs an odor molecules, and the sensor element, which detects the absorption or desorption of the molecules. The sensor element originally used a quartz oscillator. However, by applying the base technology of the ultra-high-sensitivity silicon CMOS ion imaging sensor developed by the research group led by Professor Kazuaki Sawada of Toyohashi University of Technology, a more compact, lower cost odor sensor with a greater odor resolution was realized.

To accelerate the commercialization of this next-generation odor sensor, Aroma Bit Silicon Sensor Technology, Inc. (hereinafter, "ABSST") was established as a subsidiary of Aroma Bit in 2019. Mr. Kuroki is both its representative director and CEO. They decided to establish a subsidiary for commercialization because the sensor was created by a consortium launched by Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi Sensor Council (TSCo), Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Toho Technology Corp., Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation, and Aroma Bit in 2017, and they wanted to be able to promote business smoothly while maintaining their relationships.

"This is not just a success for industry-academia open innovation , but a rare case in Japan where innovation was driven by a new venture company. The success of this project was due to the fact that Professor Sawada understood and was willing to commercialize the technology, and we were able to build a good relationship with him," recalls Mr. Kuroki.

ABSST, which started as a good example of industry-academia cooperation, became the first certified venture company originating from Toyohashi University of Technology. "Being able to demonstrate that the product is based on university research is a great advantage in terms of credibility and name recognition of the technology from customers and investors," he says.

More possibilities through the establishment of an digital odor database

The mechanism the sensor uses to create visual representations of odor is almost identical to the smell mechanism of animals. When odor molecules reach the sensor, they attach to and detach from the odor receptor films. There are currently 35 types of membranes, each with different physical properties that allow them to respond to a wide variety of odor molecules.

"It is said that humans have approximately 400 types of olfactory receptors, and dogs have approximately 1200. The more receptors one has, the more molecules can be identified. The aroma bit manages to pack the same number of receptors as a dog into a 1 mm² sensor."

When molecules are absorbed or desorbed to the odor receptor film, the electric properties of the film change. The system visualizes the odor by detecting the response as an image pattern. By teaching AI is recognise patterns, it will be able to identify a wide variety of smells. This is the same process by which living things learn to smell from experience.

"As the number of patterns the AI can recognizes increases, it will gradually become possible to identify the characteristic patterns of a certain odor in the same way that humans do. Once this becomes possible, it will also be possible to create the specific odor of a material from different materials that have the same odor pattern." For example, the ability to reproduce a specific odor without the need to use a rare living animal or plant by using a different material that emits that odor will improve the sustainability of our utilization of materials.

"In addition to the high performance of the sensor itself, which can detect a wide range of odors, the development and utilization of a database of odor patterns will start to multiply the possibilites for application. This is the big difference between conventional single-material detection devices such as gas sensors and our odor smell sensor," Mr. Kuroki emphasized.

Aiming to be the world leader in odor digitization.

The technology is drawing significant interest from the business world. Aroma Bit’s odor measurement device and the analysis technology are already being used by Meiji Corporation and the West Japan Railway Company.

In addition, the sensor is also expected to greatly aid abnormality detection systems that detect small amounts of burnt or abnormal odors before a human is able to perceive them, and for the quality control and product development of foods and commodities. Because it is able to display the elements of odor as objective data and transmit this data digitally via a network, it is also possible to identify odor in remote locations.

Mr. Kuroki has identified healthcare as one of the areas where AromaBit can be used in the future. It has the potential to detect periodontal disease and various other diseases by smell. It is also expected to be useful in abnormal detection systems that can detect the slightest trace of smoke or other targeted odours at a level below humans can detect. This capacity may also be useful in quality control and product development for food and daily necessities. Since it is able to display the elements of odor as objective data and transmit this data digitally via a network, it is also possible to identify odors remotely.

After graduating from a university in the U.S., Mr. Kuroki worked as a semiconductor engineer and then an investment analyst in high-tech fields for a foreign-affiliated investment bank, and then worked at an intellectual property fund before starting his own business. He said that the particular challenge of marketing odor sensors derives from the fact that the digitization of this field is relatively poorly developed. "The odor sensor is a new technology without a pre-existing market. Therefore, the challenge is that we have to develop the technology and create the market at the same time," he said. Thanks to the establishment of ABSST, the system for supplying ultra-compact odor sensor chips that are mountable on smartphones is now under development, which is paving the way toward a breakthrough.

Mr. Kuroki's goal is to make AromaBit the world leader in odour digitization. He also told us his vision: "Because plants and animals use odor to exchange information we may be able to read their emotions and communicate with nature through sensors. This could lead to a change in our awareness of the environment. I think that the visualization of the world of smell, which is said to be the most primitive and instinctual of our senses, will lead to the realization of a better society where humans and nature can exist in greater harmony. What kind of future will the odor sensor and data create? The sky is the limit.

Mr. Kuroki's message to people who wish to start their own business

Anybody can start their own business. However, it is difficult to achieve success in a business. This is because you have to keep going until you succeed. Especially when starting your own business in a technology field that requires hardware, it takes more time than people expect to develop and manufacture a product. There are no shortcuts to navigating the physical limitations.

Until you achieve success, although this doesn’t just apply to business, you have to give it everything you’ve got. You have to consider how your success or failure may impact your family, business partners, and employees. No matter how hard the difficulties that you face, and how badly you want to succeed, there is no guarantee of success. Accordingly, it is important that you face your situation with a clear ethical compass.

I’m not in a position to tell you the secret of success, but I can say that the most important qualities of an entrepreneur are basically optimism and the ability to get people who are better than you to help you achieve your goals. Good luck!