Pupal-Stage Inserted Silicon Microprobe Neural Interface in Insects for Gas Sensing

This paper reports on the first-ever hybrid bioelectromechanical sensor realized using Early Metamorphosis Implantation Technology (EMIT). Using EMIT, microprobes are inserted in Manduca sexta moth pupae early in their developmental cycle. The probes electrically report the neural reactions of pupae olfactory response. By forming direct neural interfaces to insect olfactory biological circuits, this approach taps into the high specificity and sensitivity (as low as several parts per quadrillion) developed in insects over millions of years of evolution. Here we demonstrate the ability to detect tobacco leaves and pheromone components with high sensitivity of at least 6 parts per billion (ppb) in an integrated system, and the potential for tapping into the much higher sensitivities intrinsic in insect olfactory processing systems.