Through breathing, the human body is said to exude odors, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), if a disease is present. As a result, researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo are building an inexpensive chemical sensor that will act as a breathalyzer to detect diseases.

According to TechnologyReview.com, the device looks like a roll of quarters and contains "an array of xerogel sensors and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detector." Xerogels, glass-like materials with nanoscopic pores, would be able to detect complex chemical patterns for recognizing specific diseases. The team has already built sensors that respond to 100 different chemicals.

If by any chance the device works, researchers hope that it will be useful for detecting diseases early on, not to mention prolonging our lives. We already know that some diseases are difficult to catch in the beginning, so having such a device could very well change all that. Let's hope so anyway, considering the plethora of diseases my father's side of the family is carrying!!

For more information on the Disease Detector, read Suny Buffalo's news release.