Dutch scientists have developed an ‘electronic nose’ which can smell within five minutes if someone has asthma, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday.

The paper says the system has been four years in development at the University of Amsterdam’s AMC teaching hospital and claims 90% accuracy.
The ‘e-nose’ recognises the molecular make-up of exhaled breath and can also differentiate between asthma and lung disease COPD.
Easier to use
Researcher Niki Fens told the paper the apparatus is cheaper, smaller and easier to use than traditional machinery used to identify lung problems.
The researchers also hope the e-nose can be used to identify asthma in young children.
E-noses are already in use to identify other diseases and infections and are used in the food industry as well.