# Chemical Butterfly Technology
GE Awarded Grant to Develop Bio-Inspired Nanostructured Sensors

By Meghan Young | Published 2010-08-13 | Updated 2010-08-17 | Tech
Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bio-inspired-nanostructured-sensors
References: [psfk](http://www.psfk.com/2010/08/ge-creates-sensitive-nano-sensors-based-on-nature.html) & [ge.geglobalresearch](http://ge.geglobalresearch.com/)

GE Global Research was recently awarded a $6.3 million grant from DARPA to continue their development of bio-inspired nanostructured sensors. Started three years ago, this grant will extend the research for at least another four years.

Essentially, GE has discovered that "butterflies’ wing scales have sharp chemical sensing properties," as Psfk.com reports. By mimicking them, they'll be able to create bio-inspired nanostructured sensors. Although purported to benefit homeland security, it can also be applied to food and beverage safety, emissions and water purification testing.