Singapore: Korean scientists are developing a new bio-electronic device that can detect bacteria in water by smelling it without the need for complex equipment and testing.

The study, published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, elaborated that the sensor is simple to use and can detect tiny amounts of contamination in water, making it more sensitive than existing detection methods.

Researchers said that the technology mimics the human nose and can sniff out low levels of bacteria and other microbes by detecting the "off flavour" they give off.

Lead researcher, Professor Tai Hyun Park from Seoul National University, said, "Water that smells bad isn't necessarily toxic. We wanted to develop a more convenient, compact device for testing water that is suitable for using on-site."

"Our eventual goal is to develop a real human nose-like bioelectronic nose," Prof Park added. "If we could develop our technology to include all of these, we would have a device that could smell anything we can, at lower concentrations."