Skip to main content

What’s that smell? This modded Ford Fusion can sniff drugs a quarter mile away

To crack down on illegal drug labs, law enforcement officers often enlist the hyper-sensitive noses of our canine brethren. Some dogs can smell up to a thousand times better than humans, but a group of students at the University of North Texas (UNT) have created technology that can top that.

It all started eight months ago, when a group led by UNT lab director Guido Verbeck developed a portable mass spectrometer to analyze air quality. Affectionately named Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry, the system was quite bulky, so to make it portable, the team ripped out the passenger seat of a Ford Fusion Energi and stuck an array of computers and sensors inside. This way, the mobile science lab could easily roam the different boroughs of the Lone Star State, taking measurements over a large area.

Recommended Videos

Unbeknownst to them, they had created a tool that could be used to sniff out drug labs even better than a bloodhound.

Read more: Rubber ducky, you’re the one … to test self-driving technology at MIT

The technology uses a string of gas analyzers and particle detectors crafted by Inficon of East Syracuse, and with a special “nose” intake built into the passenger side mirror, the plug-in hybrid can sniff out unique chemical signatures up to a quarter-mile away and determine their point of origin within 15 feet. Better yet, it does this silently and with complete discretion, keeping would-be Walter Whites in the dark and allowing the police to do their job.

Verbeck with the latest spectrometer
Verbeck with the latest spectrometer CBS DFW

“The car could just drive by it and keep moving down the road,” Verbeck told CBS DFW. “It’ll alert the officers there’s something going on at the house, and where the location is.”

To calibrate the spectrometer’s sensitivity, the UNT team set the baseline readings in Antartica, which has the cleanest air on Earth. The latest version is compact enough to fit inside a small handheld case, but at the time of this writing, it has not been picked up by any law enforcement agencies.

Andrew Hard
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
8 key things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event
From a fresh look and updated names, to new features, more intelligence and live translation
iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 shown on devices.

The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for just over an hour and a half. For those of you who don't fancy sitting through the whole presentation, we've pulled out the key things you need to know from the latest Apple event.

1. Welcome to the 26 club

Read more
Tesla’s robotaxi service is almost here, but it’s not the car you want to see
Silver Tesla Model Y Juniper side

Tesla chief Elon Musk has said that the automaker is aiming to launch its robotaxi service on June 22, in Austin, Texas.

“Tentatively, June 22,” Musk said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding: “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.”

Read more
I tried an e-bike for the first time and now I’m hooked
It’s not about being a 'bike person', it’s about finding small upgrades to everyday life
A woman sitting on the Aventon Pace 4

Before this year, I’d never even touched an e-bike before, and the thought of riding one was never on my radar. With life already in constant motion thanks to two toddlers, biking wasn’t something I ever considered adding to the mix.

I’d always assumed e-bikes were for hardcore commuters or serious cyclists, not someone like me. I wasn’t looking for a big lifestyle change. I just wanted a quicker way to get to the park so we’d have more time to play before dinner.

Read more