Artificial Perceptual Sensors - Artificial Human Sensors: Science and Applications - page 153

— efficiency, and
—performance.

The concepts of artificial perceptual devices have been developed and have
spawned a number of challenging applications in recent years, such as, for

example:

— environmental monitoring,
— public health,
— food production and
— individual safety.

Concern could be given towards the individual safety aspects, which can be
implemented in all the above applications. In the following parts, we intend to go
further into details about their attributes and system requirements, and introduce
the concept of an artificial human sensor idea.
In this specific type of complex perceptual procedures, an overall qualitative
parameter, i.e., a specific attribute, is introduced as a result of a process under
monitoring, that will represent an attractive and cost effective approach for active
perceptual sensing and action.
The concept of artificial and perceptual safety devices are particularly attrac-
tive since the results provide a more general qualitative information about the
inquired parameters and the operational principle may not necessarily be con-
nected to a human-related perception. In the following example, an introduc-
tion to the concept behind a gustatory device will be described in more detail.
However, the general concept exhibits an organisational structure that needs to be
respected and in some sense related to. The sensitivity obtained in the example
below, exhibit a wide detection range that in some cases goes beyond the possibil-
ities of the human sense of taste. In other words, this approach of artificial device
may be an excellent device for complementing the performance of human percep-
tion also in applications outside the range of safety.
The design of a simple and illustrative perceptual device is demonstrated and
an illustrative prototype may be easily built. However, the specific knowledge of
what the system measures and how to evaluate the result, from the data point of
view, is generally the advanced part of the measurement technique. In the follow-
ing, the guiding principles for designing a gustatory device — an electronic tongue
and an olfaction device — an electronic nose, will be specified and advised. The de-
vices aim to provide basic understanding of the artificial human-based technology
and will provide a more thorough understanding of the principles of a sensing
system that easily can be extended to more advanced systems.
The proposed prototype of an electronic tongue can easily be demonstrated
and built mainly by the use of ordinary home accessories. An application will
be demonstrated towards the drinking water assessment and, as an example, il-
lustrate the fundamental working principle that is oriented towards the develop-
ment of a tap-water sensor for home-based applications. On the way towards an