Liam Critchley

The future of human habitation in the sea is taking shape in an abandoned quarry on the border of Wales and England. There, the ocean-exploration organization Deep has embarked on a multiyear quest to enable scientists to live on the seafloor at depths up to 200 meters for weeks, months, and possibly even years. “Aquarius Reef Base in St. Croix was the last installed habitat back in 1987, and there hasn’t been much ground broken

4 min read Liam Critchley is a freelance contributor for IEEE Spectrum. Mice are quick to sniff out a scent; a new electronic nose could rival their olfactory prowess. Odors are all around us, and often disperse fast—in hazardous situations like wildfires, for example, wind conditions quickly carry any smoke (and the smell of smoke) away from its origin. Sending people to check out disaster zones is always a risk, so what if a robot