How to build a disposable microchip

EVERY RESEARCH project needs a striking name, and it is hard to think of a better one than “Plastic Armpit”. The idea is to design and build a chip with an electronic nose, which can sample the odours and chemicals in its environment. Such a chip, says James Myers, a senior engineer at Arm, a British-based chip designer, could be usefully attached to all sorts of consumer goods. Its name came from the idea of weaving such a chip into items of clothing, where it could let oblivious wearers know when the need for a shower was becoming urgent.