Neural network-generated odour map connects smells to their chemical structure

A data-driven map has been formulated that models the link between the chemical structure of an odourant with its smell. The researchers hope the tool will pave the way towards eventually being able to s tore odours digitally, as is possible with images and sound.

Unlike sight and hearing, there is no universally accepted method for quantifying and categorising how we experience smells. Although several systems of classification have been proposed, none have gained widespread acceptance.

In an attempt to rectify this, the researchers constructed a specific type of graph neural network, called a message passing neural network, to generate a principal odour map (POM) linking chemical structures to their smell.