A "biochemical nose" based on Raman spectroscopy can quickly and accurately detect or diagnose substances at the molecular level for applications in food safety, medical diagnosis, chemical analysis and even home safety.

"Our system can do chemistry, biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, clinical diagnosis and chemical analysis," said Fanqing Frank Chen, president and cofounder of Optokey Inc., a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory spinoff that developed the technology.

The device uses a microfluidic control system for lab-on-a-chip automated liquid sampling. Nanoplasmonic resonators measure the interaction of photons with an activated surface using nanostructures to enable chemical and biological sensing.

"We're able to mass produce this nanoplasmonic resonator on a wafer scale," Chen said. "We took something from the R&D realm and turned it into something industrial strength."

Optokey plans to target the smart-home market, where the sensors could be built into houses to scan for pollutants in the air and water.

For more information, visit www.optokey.com.