Sniffing machine

[sandgrubber]

https://www.popsci.com/smelling-machine

Clip from article:

Each year, poachers traffic thousands of tons of illegal wildlife products through the world’s biggest ports. Detector dogs like the ones I work with are among the most effective means of finding that contraband. Trained canines can sniff out minuscule amounts of ivory, rhino horn, tiger bone, and other illegal products with greater than 90 percent accuracy.

But these amazing canine workers will push themselves too hard if you let them. In searching cargo containers, trained animals can encounter toxic substances, dangerous machinery, and extreme heat. Some have even died on the job.

There is a way to make things safer (and more efficient): drawing air from shipping containers, running it through scent-trapping filters, and then giving that odor to sniffer dogs in a controlled environment. That way, customs officials can search inside a container without anyone actually opening it up

 

[Panto]

this is a great concept - link didn't work though it had to redirect. 

[RuralPug]

Link worked for me. I did have to giggle as the inventor described being in hardware stores and handling leaf blowers whilst heavily pregnant! 

Not only is is safer for the dogs, but it is better for shippers not to have customs locks opened and resealed etc.