An electronic body-tracking dog?

ABSTRACT

The use of tracker dogs is the main method of finding hidden bodies, and in their search the dogs use typical scent patterns. "Electronic noses" can also be used to find and compare such patterns. Highly sensitive scent detectors have been successfully applied, e.g. in the examination of foodstuffs, in environmental tests and in material research. This study examined whether electronic sensors can be used to find bodies under outdoor conditions. The carcasses of two coneys were buried in soil at different depths. Over a period of 4 weeks, regular measurements were taken from the buried carcasses and from the control material. In addition, a "fingerprint" of the scent patterns was taken, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were performed. Our findings indicate that it may be possible and viable to construct an "electronic body-tracking dog".