Abstract
Wearable affective computing technologies rely predominantly on autonomic physiological indicators such as heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, and facial expression analysis, which often suffer from contextual ambiguity and high susceptibility to physical movement artifacts. In this paper, we propose a novel biochemical modality for continuous, non-invasive mental state monitoring: real-time olfactory breath analysis utilizing synthetic biological sensor arrays. We present the design of a bio-electronic nose comprising engineered strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that express heterologous human and mammalian olfactory receptors (ORs) coupled to the endogenous pheromone response pathway. These cellular biosensors are functionalized to selectively bind volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—specifically stress- and arousal-related aldehydes, terpenes, and short-chain ketones—emitted in human breath during acute emotional transitions. Optical transduction via target-activated green and red fluorescent protein (GFP/RFP) synthesis within a microfluidic gas-sampling cartridge allows rapid quantification of volatilome shifts. Preliminary bench validation with synthetic breath matrices demonstrates sub-part-per-billion sensitivity and distinct multi-receptor activation profiles capable of differentiating simulated calm, acute psychological stress, and high-valence arousal states within two minutes of exposure. This study establishes a plausible foundation for living biomorphic sensors in psychophysiological monitoring and non-invasive mental health diagnostics.
