3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-2-hexanoic acid detection as identifiers to monitor human presence

摘要

Various embodiments are described relating to devices and methods for detecting local human presence by olfactory reception of volatile organic compound (VOC) molecules dispersed in air. Such devices include a chamber inlet, a trap, a sensor and a communicator. The inlet receives the air that contains the VOC molecules, a trap for capturing the VOC molecules in the air. The sensor detects at least a threshold quantity of at least one of 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic (3H3MH) acid and 3-methyl-2-hexanoic (3M2H) acid among the VOC molecules. The communicator provides notification of the threshold quantity. The methods include operations to receive the air, capture the molecules in the air, detect the 3H3MH and 3M2H acids, and signal notification of that detection.