the primary aspect of the controlled odor mimic permeation system is that it provides a field deployable instant and reproducible source of known amounts of target odors . this technology consists of a permeable polymer container , stored inside a non - permeable package . the design allows for the pre - equilibration of the target odors such that the outer surface of the inner package can saturate with odor during storage . removal of the inner item then provides an instant and reproducible source of known target vapor flux . we have successfully demonstrated this technology by placing the target odor chemicals within permeable membranes such as low density polyethylene which are then sealed within a non - permeable membranes such as metallized polyester . this design has multiple advantages including preventing cross contamination when storing multiple odor targets as well as being light - weight disposable , low unit cost potential , no external power / operating unit / machinery / hardware , simple to use and providing a known reproducible concentration of the target odors to the detector in the field . the applications of these comps include the whole range of biological and electronic detectors with examples such as explosives , drugs , human remains and live human scent .