At Auziker, we believe that innovation and scientific rigor are key to advancing the field of canine detection. As a result of this philosophy, Hilotz was born, the first real-smelling aid designed specifically to train dogs to detect corpses in the early stages of decomposition (less than 24 hours).

This process goes from the field to the field, passing through the laboratory. Our product arises directly from real operational needs. We work closely with forensic professionals and canine units to understand the challenges they face in the field. These needs translate into scientific research in the laboratory, where we design, develop, and test solutions based on real evidence and validated through collaboration. Once developed, our training devices return to the field, this time as effective, safe, and easy-to-use tools to improve canine detection.

WHY IS AN AID LIKE HILOTZ NECESSARY?

Detecting human remains in the first hours after death is a particularly complex task for canine teams. In these phases, the odorous compounds generated by the body are very different from those in more advanced stages of decomposition, and training with real samples is practically impossible for ethical, logistical, and legal reasons.

Hilotz offers a solution to this challenge, as it has the real smell of these early stages, created in collaboration with the Basque Institute of Legal Medicine and validated with operational dogs from different police forces such as the Ertzaintza, National Police, Navarre Regional Police, and Mossos d’Esquadra.

This time frame is critical for several reasons:

• Rapid recovery of bodies, which can make all the difference in emergency interventions.
• Preservation of key forensic evidence, which could be lost over time or due to late location.
• Respect and closure for families, who deserve clear answers and the opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones.

In addition, Hilotz also allows search and rescue dogs to be trained to discriminate between smells: by having a scent profile corresponding to a recently deceased human body, the aid can be used to teach the dog that this smell should not be marked during search and rescue operations. This is especially useful in contexts such as earthquakes or natural disasters, where it is essential to prioritize the rescue of living people and avoid wasting resources on targets that, although human, are already deceased. In this way, the team’s efforts are optimized and more effective priorities are established in critical situations.

DEVELOPMENT AND SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION

Hilotz is the result of years of interdisciplinary research, the fruit of collaboration between experts in chemistry, forensic medicine, and operational canine units.

Its development has followed a rigorous scientific process:

• We started by collecting real samples from corpses in the early stages (less than 24 hours).
• Subsequently, the volatile organic compounds present in these samples were analyzed.
• Using advanced multivariate data analysis and machine learning techniques, the key compounds responsible for the characteristic odor were identified.
• Based on these results, a prototype aid with this odor profile was designed.

The result is an innovative product, unique internationally, that allows for ethical, safe, and effective training for one of the most complex scenarios in detection: locating corpses in very early stages of decomposition.

It has been validated with dogs from different state security forces, in real conditions, both indoors and outdoors, and with widely varying temperature and humidity ranges.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

• Real scent: Based on compounds identified directly in corpses less than 24 hours old, producing an authentic and representative scent profile.
• Universal: The scent has been designed based on compounds common to all people, making the aid valid for detecting any individual, regardless of individual variables or origin.
• Safe: It contains no biological material or hazardous components, allowing it to be used without risk to people or animals.
• Innovative: First scientifically based early cadaver detection aid validated by police units.
• Ethical: Replaces the use of real human samples, resolving the ethical and legal dilemmas of traditional training.
• Effective: In 95% of cases, dogs marked the aid when it was present.
• Selective: In 100% of cases, dogs discriminated the aid from other odors.
• Easy to use: Practical, portable, and stable format, allowing you to easily take it to any training environment.

A STEP FORWARD IN DETECTION

Hilotz is not just aid: it is an innovative training tool that expands the capabilities of canine units, allowing them to work in a time frame that until now was extremely difficult to train.

At Auziker, we continue to develop solutions that combine science and operability to respond to the real challenges of working with detection dogs.

Would you like to learn more about Hilotz or try it with your unit?

Write to us at info@auziker.com