- Digital scent technology
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Digital scent technology is a technology to sense, transmit and receive scent-enable digital media (such as video games, movies and music). This technology is based and works by combining olfactometer and electronic nose.
History
By the end of the 1950's a Hans Laube invented the 'Smell-O-Vision', a system which released odor during the projection of a film so that the viewer could "smell" what was happening in the movie. The Smell-O-Vision faced competition with AromaRama, a similar system that was invented by Charles Weiss and sent scents through the air-conditioning system of a theater and was invented by Charles Weiss. Smell-O-Vision did not work as intended. According to Variety, aromas were released with a distracting hissing noise and audience members in the balcony complained that the scents reached them several seconds after the action was shown on the screen. In other parts of the theater, the odors were too faint, causing audience members to sniff loudly in an attempt to catch the scent. These technical problems were mostly corrected after the first few showings, but the poor word of mouth, in conjunction with generally negative reviews of the film itself, signaled the end of Smell-O-Vision.
iSmell prototypes
In 1999-2001, DigiScents developed a computer peripheral device called 'iSmell' which was designed to emit a smell when a user visited a web site or opened an email. The device contained a cartridge with 128 "primary odors," which could be mixed to replicate natural and man-made odors. DigiScents had indexed thousands of common odors, which could be coded, digitized, and embedded into web pages or email.[1] The company went bankrupt in the explosion of the dot-com bubble.
In 2000, AromaJet have developed a scent-generating device prototype called 'Pinoke'. No new announcements have been since December 2000.
In 2003, TriSenx (founded in 1999) launched a scent-generating device called 'Scent Dome' which by 2004 was tested by the UK internet service provider Telewest Broadband. This device was about the size of a teapot and could generate up to 60 different smells by releasing particles from one or more of 20 liquid-filled odour capsules. Computers fitted with a Scent Dome unit useed software to recognise smell identifying codes embedded in an email or web page.[2]
In 2004, Tsuji Wellness and France Telecom developed a scent-generating device called 'Kaori Web which comes with 6 different cartridges for different smells. K-Opticom a Japanese internet cafes operator had placed special units of this device in their internet cafes for a trial period . The company held trial runs at places other than their cafes until the end of the experiment - March 20th, 2005.[3] In the same year (2004), Sandeep Jaidka, an Indian inventor have founded SAV Products, LLC, and claimed to show a scent-generating device prototype at CES 2005.[4] The scent-generating device haven't been seen there.
In 2005, a researchers from the University of Huelva have developed 'XML Smell', a protocol of XML that can transmit smells. The researchers have also developed a scent-generating device and worked on miniaturising it's size.[5] In the same year (2005), Thanko launched 'P@D Aroma Generator', an USB device that comes with 3 different cartridges for different smells.[6]
Today
Many companies are working on this technology such as Scentcom.
In 2005, Japanese researchers announced that they are working on a 3D television with touch and smell that would be commercially available on the market by the year 2020. [7]
References
- ^ Martin, James (1999-10-13). "Sniff That Web Site". PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13263-page,1/article.html. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
- ^ "Smelly device would liven up web browsing". NewScientist. 2004-2-20. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4705-smelly-device-would-liven-up-web-browsing.html.
- ^ These images STINK. Really.
- ^ "Gaming Smells - It's a Fact". MegaGames. 2004-12-30. http://mirror1.megagames.com/news/gaming-smells-its-fact?tab=description.
- ^ "XML Smell language developed by university". The Inquirer. 2005-1-23. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1021419/xml-smell-language-developed-university.
- ^ Thanko USB P@D Aroma Generator
- ^ 3D TV with Touch, Smell by 2020?
Categories:- Emerging technologies
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