Scientists are aiming to combine the odour sensors and the signal processing components onto one silicon chip.

BBC: Scientists develop 'nose-on-a-chip'

Sony has succeeded in establishing a structure that layers the pixel section containing formations of back-illuminated structure pixels over the chip affixed with mounted circuits for signal processing, which is in place of supporting substrates used for conventional back-illuminated CMOS image sensors.

ENGADGET: Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Weinberger tackled those problems by designing his chip from scratch, finding ways to split out parts of laborious signal-processing tasks and handle them in parallel.

FORBES: Bridging The Gaps

In addition, faster signal processing and lower power consumption can also be achieved through the use of leading process for the chip containing the circuits.

ENGADGET: Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Rival chip makers such as Texas Instruments and Motorola, which are strong in digital signal processing (a technology used in mobile telephones that is particularly suitable for intelligent appliances) welcome the chance to compete in a market that Intel does not dominate.

ECONOMIST: After the PC