In the lab, we are doing both human and rodent olfactometry. What does that mean? Well, to study olfaction we need to present controlled odor concentrations. This is achieved via a device called an olfactometer. Instead of buying one, we decided to make our own. This device is a teflon/glass olfactometer controlled by an Arduino running custom code controlling solenoid valves. This device lets us present steady odor concentrations to our subjects and rapidly switch between odors. The olfactometer air delivery is currently controlled by simple flow meters. However, we are now switching to mass flow controllers to enable rapid alterations in odor flow. My next technical part will be to write a control interface for the Alicat MFCs we got in the mail last week.
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