Ainos (NASDAQ:AIMD) executives said the company is increasingly positioning itself as an “AI perception platform” focused on adding the sense of smell to machine intelligence, as it expands beyond its healthcare roots into industrial markets such as semiconductors and robotics.
In a fireside chat hosted by Water Tower Research, Ainos described its core objective as enabling AI to interpret scent data in a standardized way, arguing that smell is one of the last major human senses that has not been scaled effectively in artificial intelligence. Management said scent can provide early signals of risk, quality changes, or anomalies before visual or mechanical indicators appear, but noted that historically smell data has been inconsistent and difficult for AI systems to learn from.
Building a “smell” layer for AI
The company distinguished its approach from traditional gas sensing systems, which it characterized as primarily detection and alert tools. Ainos described its system as trainable and designed to continuously learn from real-world data, with the goal of allowing intelligence gained in one customer environment to be applied across other deployed systems.
Platform structure: hardware plus intelligence
Ainos outlined what it called a “dual engine” architecture that separates sensing hardware from the intelligence layer:
- AI Nose (Ainos): focused on sensing and consistent data generation, serving as the physical data entry point.
- ScentAI: a wholly owned subsidiary focused on AI models and analytics built on Smell IDs, positioned as the intelligence component.
Management said customers would gain access to intelligence through platform services rather than owning the underlying models. Over time, the company expects ScentAI to evolve into a smell intelligence operating layer, while Ainos maintains control over the data source. Ainos also said this structure supports a scalable, subscription-based platform model.
Healthcare origins and industrial expansion
Ainos said its initial work in healthcare—including pneumonia, women’s health, and senior care—helped it calibrate the system for subtle scent changes and validate that smell can be “learned” rather than merely detected. Management said that experience over the past 13 years created a foundation for expanding into larger-scale industrial environments.
The company argued that industrial settings are well-suited for scaling its platform because they operate continuously and generate repeatable scent patterns tied to processes. Ainos said that since the back half of 2025 it has been building an industrial ecosystem that includes paying customers as well as integration and distribution partners intended to help scale deployments efficiently.
Semiconductor traction: back-end deployments and front-end entry
Ainos highlighted commercial traction in semiconductor back-end operations, saying it has an agreement with what it described as the world’s largest semiconductor back-end player. Management said the customer operates “lights-out,” fully automated factories and that smell has been a missing perception layer in those environments.
The company cited a multi-year order of approximately $2.1 million covering roughly 1,400 AI Nose units to be deployed across the customer’s major facilities in Taiwan, with what it described as an opportunity to expand further if execution goes well.
Ainos also discussed moving upstream into front-end wafer fabrication through an agreement with Trusval Technology. Management said front-end fabs are a target due to continuous operations, extensive sensor usage, and chemical-intensive processes. It emphasized that it is not seeking to replace existing sensing systems in fabs, but rather add continuous smell intelligence to learn from chemical signals over time. Ainos said the platform could become a cross-stage intelligence layer across front-end and back-end semiconductor environments, potentially building data depth and customer stickiness once embedded into workflows.
Regarding partner relationships, Ainos said Trusval includes a minimum committed order of 600 sets of AI Nose units. The company also referenced a previously announced agreement with Topco Scientific, describing Topco as having decades of experience supporting chip makers with materials, process-related solutions, and technical support. Ainos said Trusval specializes in front-end fab infrastructure and system integration, with responsibility for deployment and ongoing operations inside fabs. Management said these partners’ on-site capabilities effectively extend Ainos’ workforce and support a capital-light operating model, while Ainos retains control over core technology, data, and platform direction.
Robotics focus and 2026 execution milestones
Ainos said robotics is one of its key focus areas for 2026 alongside semiconductors, arguing that most robots can see and hear but generally lack the ability to smell. Management said scent capability could expand robotic applications in inspection, safety, and environmental monitoring, while generating continuous data that strengthens the platform’s learning “flywheel.”
The company said it has been working with a robot developer in Japan, with multiple pilot programs underway, and that it is engaged in additional partnership discussions as it expands its pipeline.
Looking ahead, management said 2026 is expected to reflect increased execution. It stated that deployment preparation work occurred in the second half of 2025, and that in January it began “light deployments” tied to the $2.1 million back-end semiconductor orders. It also said it is initiating a pilot with a front-end semiconductor company, marking its first step upstream in the chip value chain.
In closing remarks, Ainos reiterated its view that adding smell as an AI perception layer could enable smarter decisions across multiple environments. Management said it expects 2026 to mark the beginning of a meaningful scale-up driven by traction in industrial, semiconductor, and robotics settings.
About Ainos (NASDAQ:AIMD)
Ainos, Inc (NASDAQ: AIMD) is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing inhalation therapies for patients with chronic pulmonary disorders. The company’s proprietary platform centers on a dry powder inhalation technology designed to deliver therapeutic agents directly to the lungs, potentially improving drug distribution and reducing systemic side effects compared to traditional oral or intravenous formulations.
The lead product candidate, AI‐401, is an inhaled formulation of ibuprofen in a dry powder format.
