Fart-finding autonomous robots win Chinese physics prize

The “Pineapple Prize” is a popular award in China, organised annually by local science publication Guokr.com, for technology ideas that straddle the line between useful and ridiculous. This time around, the winner is a device that could put you in a very embarrassing situation.

2016’s Pineapple Prize in Physics went to Li Ji-Gong of Tianjin University for a device that can pinpoint which person in the room farted. Yes, that’s an ingenious device to have in your possession, and a terrifying one to be subjected to, but it has other uses as well. Ji-Gong is the co-author of a research paper titled “Mapping odour sources with a mobile robot in a time variant airflow environment”, and his autonomous robot uses an algorithm based on particle filters to look for “odour plume clues”. When it finds one, the robot digs a little deeper to find the source, all in real-time. 

As hilarious as fart detection is, the applications can vary; the robot can be used to detect gas leaks in industrial plants, or as replacements for drug-sniffer dogs. We vote Ji-Gong sticks to calling them Fart-Finder Bots.