JODHPUR, March 11 -- Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur are working on a technology that may allow doctors to detect diseases through a simple breath test, possibly even before symptoms appear. A research team led by Saakshi Dhanekar, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, is developing sensor-based systems that can analyse chemicals present in human breath. These chemicals, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), can act as indicators of certain health conditions. The research is being carried out at the MEMS and Nano Sensor Laboratory at IIT Jodhpur. Scientists there are designing very small devices that can separate and detect different gases in breath, which may be linked to metabolic or respiratory diseases. Taking a cue from nature, the IIT Jodhpur team is developing what they call an "electronic nose", a system that uses advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to identify gases, similar to how the human nose detects smells, Dr Dhanekar said. According to Dr. Dhanekar, the aim is to recreate and improve the sensing ability seen in nature by combining micro-scale engineering with intelligent data analysis....