The NHS in the United Kingdom is going to trial a breath test that uses artificial intelligence and operates at the ‘nanoparticles’ level to detect a range of diseases, Metro says.

The "electronic nose" technology will look for chemicals (‘biomarkers’ ) that are produced by a number of conditions, including cancer, dementia and TB. The new breath test will be more sensitive (and therefore accurate) than the current ones being used.

The first human trials are scheduled at two NHS hospitals and two US hospitals in autumn and will look for lung cancer in patients. Test subjects will breath through a mouthpiece for a minute before the sample is processed by a machine on site.

The information will then be relayed to a supercomputer at developer Ancon Medical’s HQ, in Kent, which will make a determination and send the information back within seven minutes. If all goes to plan then the technology could be available to the public by 2021.

Ancon’s Dr Glyn Hiatt-Gipson said: "This is more sensitive than the nose of a dog and is powered by AI so is constantly evolving.

"My vision is that within a decade patients will be able to breath into this mouthpiece and doctors will be able to diagnose as many as 400 different diseases in just one breath."

The breath test is based on new bomb detecting kit that will be used by both the UK and America.