The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the problems of anosmia.

Worldwide, approximately one in two people positive for Covid has already been affected by a partial (hypo smelly) or total (loss of smell) loss of the sense of smell. Loss of smell persists in some cases.

And unlike other senses, there is currently no advanced technology capable of restoring even a partial smell.

Coordinated project in Lyon

The Rose project therefore aims to design and evaluate a miniature olfactory prosthesis in patients with smell disorders.

Coordinated by CRNL de Lyon (CNRS, Inserm, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I), it brings together the efforts of six other international partners: Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), University of Thessaloniki (Greece), and University of Dresden ( Germany), the Aryballe Company (France, Grenoble) and the Commissariat of l’Énergie Atomique et aux energies of Alternatives (CEA, France, Grenoble).

European funding 3 million euros

This interdisciplinary project will combine nanotechnology, microtechnology, biotechnology, design, mechanics, neurosurgery, clinical olfactory, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology.

Received €3 million in funding under the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder H2020 (formerly Horizon 2020 FET-Open) pilot programme.

Ultimately, it could open up other technological possibilities for miniaturizing proximity sensors, useful for other applications. These include incorporation into home appliances, research and development and quality control of foods, flavors and fragrances, and new methods of neurostimulation for neuroscience research.