Jiali Fu

Jiali is born in Fujian region of China in 1992. She got a BSc in Industrial Design at Chongqing Technology and Business University in 2014. She then moved to Italy where in July 2017 she obtained the Master’s Degree in Product Design for Innovation at Politecnico di Milano.

Foodnose. Olfactory digital micro-system for food preservation and safety.

“That stinks!” is the most recurring exclamation when a particularly unpleasant smell fills our nostrils. The mechanism adopted by our nose to smell is very complex and involves a number of chemical reactions transforming the interaction between odorous molecules and olfactory receptors into an electrical impulse directly sent to the brain. Our brain processes this signal and gives the sensation of smell.
This thesis explores the potential of design and digital technologies in developing Foodnose, an interactive and portable device that can “smell” foods by measuring their deterioration and maturation. A tool that works like a “digital nose” helping common people (especially those with visual and olfactory deficits), and in the next future, also the operators of agro-food industry (production, distribution, catering) in order to reduce waste, locate the better moment for the food consumption and improving the food safety level.