The present state of the art to record or mimic electronically the hum
an senses of olfaction and taste is characterized. In this part I, an
introduction to our present understanding in the development of electr
onic and bioelectronic noses is given. Finally the natural olfactory s
ystem is described in detail. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. Published
by Elsevier Science S.A.