<p>The mice are part of a bomb-detecting unit developed by Israeli researchers who claimed the trained critters can be better than full-body scanners and pat-downs at detecting any would-be bombers and drugs couriers.<br /><br />The device looks like a metal detector or full-body scanner, but one side of it houses three concealed cartridges, each containing eight specially trained mice.<br />The animals work four-hour shifts, milling around in an allocated cartridge while sniffing air pumped in from outside.<br /><br />When they pick up traces of explosives or drugs, they will flee to a side chamber, triggering an alarm, New Scientist reported.<br /><br />To set the pattern of shifts, air is pumped to a different cartridge every four hours. This gives the rodents eight hours to sleep and play before they are required to clock on again.<br /><br />The mice take around ten days to learn their first smell. Subsequent odours take just a few days each. Unlike sniffer dogs, mice do not require constant interaction with their trainers or to be plied with treats to keep them motivated.<br /><br />"It is as if they are smelling a cat and escaping. We detect the escape," Eran Lumbroso, who invented the machine while working with Israeli Navy, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.<br /><br />Lumbroso's company BioExplorers is now looking for a larger firm to help with the final stages of development.<br /><br />It is believed that the concept may appeal to those who fear that the full-body scanners introduced at many airports are exposing them to harmful radiation and invading privacy.<br /><br />The device was field tested last year on 1,000 shoppers in a Tel Aviv mall when the mice successfully picked out the 22 people with mock explosives in their pockets.<br /><br />The scanners -- which are likely to be cheaper than the equipment already in use -- are expected to be available within months.</p>
<p>The mice are part of a bomb-detecting unit developed by Israeli researchers who claimed the trained critters can be better than full-body scanners and pat-downs at detecting any would-be bombers and drugs couriers.<br /><br />The device looks like a metal detector or full-body scanner, but one side of it houses three concealed cartridges, each containing eight specially trained mice.<br />The animals work four-hour shifts, milling around in an allocated cartridge while sniffing air pumped in from outside.<br /><br />When they pick up traces of explosives or drugs, they will flee to a side chamber, triggering an alarm, New Scientist reported.<br /><br />To set the pattern of shifts, air is pumped to a different cartridge every four hours. This gives the rodents eight hours to sleep and play before they are required to clock on again.<br /><br />The mice take around ten days to learn their first smell. Subsequent odours take just a few days each. Unlike sniffer dogs, mice do not require constant interaction with their trainers or to be plied with treats to keep them motivated.<br /><br />"It is as if they are smelling a cat and escaping. We detect the escape," Eran Lumbroso, who invented the machine while working with Israeli Navy, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.<br /><br />Lumbroso's company BioExplorers is now looking for a larger firm to help with the final stages of development.<br /><br />It is believed that the concept may appeal to those who fear that the full-body scanners introduced at many airports are exposing them to harmful radiation and invading privacy.<br /><br />The device was field tested last year on 1,000 shoppers in a Tel Aviv mall when the mice successfully picked out the 22 people with mock explosives in their pockets.<br /><br />The scanners -- which are likely to be cheaper than the equipment already in use -- are expected to be available within months.</p>