Chemical sensors are intended to solve analytical problems complementary to that provided by
standard analytical instruments. In order to become commercially viable, chemical sensors have
to be combined with an appropriate sampling device and electronics in such a way that the
overall dimensions of the final device, the price and ease in handling, are acceptable. These
parameters determine the profile of sensing devices in the vast range of applications in industrial
and bio-process control, in environmental monitoring and in monitoring of toxic effluents (e.g.
cyanide), in food technology, in field measurements, in emergency-care analysis, and point-of -
care testing (POCT) in medicine. An unexplored area is the use of chemical sensors in
toxicology. In order to cope with various fields of applications, the brand "the Lab in the Bag"
was coined specifying the trend of further developments.