In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies are also looking into ways to detect biological hazards like contagious viruses. Koniku has touted security as well as medical applications, with sniffers that can detect signs of cancer — in much the same way dogs can detect prostate cancer with extreme accuracy. “You wake up in the morning, you breathe on our device… and we are analyzing, in a longitudinal fashion, your state of health. That is one of our big visions,” Agabi said.

Devices that can supposedly test travelers for traces of dangerous chemicals have met with very limited success, so it’s easy to be skeptical about any new tech. However, the fact that it’s being tested by Airbus is a good sign for Koniku, a relatively small company with just 20 employees. Airbus has been working with Koniku since 2017 and said they plan to create “a game-changing, end-to-end security solution.”