Challenges of Biomimetic Infochemical Communication

The natural world abounds with chemical information. Animals rely on chemical communication for behaviors as diverse as finding mates, locating food sources, or avoiding predators. Insects, in particular, are capable of incredibly precise chemocommunication using low-power signaling and processing systems. Most species rely on several compounds to convey specific information, establishing a diverse palette for chemical communication. This complex form of information exchange mediated by chemicals represents an unexplored form of communication and labeling technology that has yet to be exploited. In an attempt to mimic chemocommunication in the insect world, we have developed a new class of technology based on the infochemical communication of moths. We describe how this new class of technology could be realized by combining the latest advances and convergence of expertise in the fields of pheromone biochemistry, entomology, genetics, biophysics, materials science and neuroscience. The principles of signal biosynthesis and molecular detection in olfactory receptors and the central nervous system of insects are discussed. We then describe the technological aspects of implementing a microsystem capable of producing biosynthetic compounds as well as the development of a detector unit comprising a biological cell coating expressing specific ligand receptors and coupled to an acousto-electric transducer.