Smell Technology Day *

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‘Scentography promises a vast extension of sensory space, with profound implications. We’ve lost touch, as a species, with our sense of smell. Our noses are not on the ground anymore, because we don’t have to hunt for food. Scent became an art perpetuated by the big fragrance houses in Europe, and the average person was not empowered. You cannot create a new smell, communicate about it, talk about it. But now we can change that. Our mission is to make scent accessible to everyone. We’re giving back to humanity our ability to communicate using scent.’ — Marc Canter, founder of Macromedia

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‘Engineers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed an odor recorder that can analyze scents and reproduce them by combining the 96 chemicals packed inside the device. Not only will it be able to approximate the smells of the finer things of life such as freshly-baked bread or apple pie, but it could also help doctors to diagnose remote patients by whipping up a hell of a stench with smells of urine, bile and rotten egg farts.

‘You point the device at an object, and then it records its odor using 15 chemical-sensing microchips, or electronic noses. It can then transmit that data to another device in a different location, or save it for later playback. So far, the system has been able to accurately record and play back the scent of orange, lemon, apple, banana and melon, and it’s said to be able to demonstrate the difference in scent between a red and green apple. The researchers hope to implement the device for online shopping, where you’ll be able to smell before you buy, and also in various virtual-reality environments.’ — gizmodo.com

Successful odor detection by mosquito olfaction

 

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‘Redefining the home theater experience with the sense of smell is what the SMELLIT concept is all about. Based on the idea of a DVD player, it attaches to your home theater, and gives you the aroma of what’s cooking on the TV screen, in a literal sense. The “smell CARD” of the SMELLIT decodes all the smell information and gets your head turning every time a new dish appears.

‘The device, created by Nuno Teixeira, works like the ink jet printer, though in contrast, it houses 118 cartridges for purification instead of the ink cartridges. The SMELLIT releases the fragrance of the picture on the screen as concentrated “smell gel” that’s evenly distributed by a central fan. So, next time a chef’s cooking a meal on TV, you know how it smells if not how it tastes.

‘As your DVD player reads the video and sound information from your favorite DVD disc, SMELLIT processes the same DVD, but the “smell CARD” decodes all the smell information from 10 to 20 seconds, depending on how far you are from the SMELLIT, ahead of the actual scene so that the odors have time to reach the spectators.

‘After decoding the smell information, the cartridge vaporizes a very small amount of concentrated “smell gel,” and the central fan distributes equally the smell in all directions. All of the 118 cartridges can be easily changed and last three times more than a regular ink cartridge, so you don’t have to worry you’ll run out of smells unexpectedly.’ — gadgets.softpedia.com

 

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‘Imagine the smell of brownies drawing your attention while you roam the aisles at your neighborhood market. The scent isn’t coming from the mix inside the box, but from an electronic label programmed to release a bit of aroma every time a shopper walks by. The new labels aim to get consumers to buy more by emitting tantalizing smells.

‘”If you got coffee, they’ll send out the coffee aroma when they sense you’re coming by,” says Peter Harrop, Chairman of IDTechex, the printed electronics company behind the new technology. “The label will also talk to you when you touch it, in addition to giving you print that may scroll, like on your computer, to give you instructions in whatever size font you want.” The new labels will cost about $.4 each. The cost is about triple that of current labels.’ — WCBS-TV

 

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‘Researchers at the University of Southern California in LA has patented a project that would allow US Army officers to use coded smells to give orders. These can be delivered silently, in the dark and when loud noise is drowning out speech. Furthermore, says the patent, the immediate reaction to a smell is emotional, rather than rational, so an odour trigger may encourage people to carry out orders without question.

‘A collar would hang round a soldier’s neck. The collar has a dozen cartridges, each containing a wick soaked in smelly liquid, a valve and a small propeller fan. Remote radio signals open selected valves and kick fans into life. A soldier could be trained to associate specific actions with unmistakable odours. This would allow the smells to be used to jog memory – if you smell this, do that.

‘The system could also make training more realistic, with soldiers getting whiffs of desert dust, sea water or mud that are synchronised with audio and visual cues. The collar is close to the wearer’s nose, so the effect is immediate, and rapidly fades when the valve is closed.’ — We-make-money-not-art.com

 

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‘Rain Showtechniek, a Dutch company that specialises in lighting, special stage effects and sound systems, has developed a machine that reproduces the traditional smell of bars and cafes. “There is a need for a scent to mask the sweat and other unpleasant smells like stale beer,” said Erwin van den Bergh, a spokesman for the company. “People find that smells such as Mocha coffee, Havana cigars or cigarettes can be about good moods and different ideas of living well.”

‘Unlike the real thing, the artificial tobacco smells do not have any health risks and does not linger in the hair or clothing of bar customers. “Geurmachines” come in different sizes and prices, ranging from giant smell-makers, costing £3500 for exhibition halls to smaller and cheaper scent devices for cafés, priced at £440. Over 50 different scents are offered for the new machines ranging from tobacco aromas to the smell of leather, freshly baked bread or new cars.’ — The Telegraph

 

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‘CamSoda, an adult entertainment webcam platform and among the first to use virtual reality in cam girls’ work, is developing smell-o-vision custom-picked by their models. Like its recent forays into virtual reality, it’s hard to tell how serious CamSoda is about the technology and how much of it is just a promotional stunt, but smell is a sensation other developers are seriously trying to bring into VR, so it’s worth considering how it might be used with porn.

‘CamSoda’s gas mask-like device is comprised of several interchangeable canisters, a heating element, and Bluetooth to connect it to your smartphone. They’re offering 30 scents to start, including “private parts,” “body odor,” “fragrances,” “panties,” “aphrodisiacs,” and “breath.” Viewers can use an app to control the scents’ strength or turn one off altogether. The company is taking pre-orders and hopes to ship by the spring. The mask plus 30 scents costs $99, with additional scent cartridges priced from $5.99 to $9.99.’ — Vice

 

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‘The latest trend in food packaging: Jars and boxes lined with “smell technology” emit molecules that push against their contents, infusing the items with different flavors. The concept, however, is steeped in real science: Researchers have discovered that most of what we call taste happens not in our mouths, but through our noses. Aromas, in essence, can trick your brain into thinking you are tasting certain flavors.

‘An upstart called ScentSational Technologies, founded in 1997 in Jenkintown, Pa., is working with a number of food companies to harness the science of smell. The aim: to produce tasty products without sugary additives like corn syrup or expensive ingredients such as heavy cream.

‘ScentSational Technologies says it is working with a baby-food producer to add an odor to the seal of its caps so that when parents open the jars, they can smell “freshness”; it’s also collaborating with a cereal maker to add fragrance to plastic bags, “sweetening” the product while actually reducing the amount of sugar. ScentSational Technologies founder Steven Landau says he can’t disclose clients’ names because the projects are still in the experimental stage.’ — Fortune Magazine

 

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Digital scent movie projector with sound channel
United States Patent Application 20080043204
Inventors: Guo, Yixin (Ronkonkoma, NY, US)
Application Number: 11/588154
Filing Date: 10/27/2006

A Digital Scent Movie Projector with Sound Channels. Its features include: A Digital Movie Projector, A sense of smell signal converter and a set of scent making devices. A digital movie projector uses a full frequency sound channel as its passageway to transmit sense of smell digital signal or adding a sense of smell digital signal transmission passageway besides the several full frequency and a low frequency sound channel. After being processed by the sense of smell signal converter the sense of smell signal is transmitted into the scent making devices. The scent making devices uses the scent transmission passageway to transmit the scent of the scent can into the pressure-reducing valve and sound muffler, with help of the air compressor and the controlling valve. And finally the scent is released into the cinema from the scent outlet devices installed under or by the audience seats. With this proposal and without any modification to a digital movie projector, the sense of smell signal can be programmed into digital movies and can be projected utilizing one of the full frequency sound channels of a digital movie projector. Therefore it enables the film arts to break the monopoly of traditional film and truly realizes the trinity enjoyable effect of sense of sight, hearing and smell.

 

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‘A group of Savannahians have teamed up to produce the world’s first scent-enabled music album. The first CD equipped with scent-technology is UNLEASHED by ZAN, who lives and records in Savannah. ZAN and her band play a mix of Pop, Funk Rock and New Age music. For the scent-enabled CD to work, one must purchase a Scent-Dome that plugs into a computer. As the computer plays songs, the teapot-sized Scent Dome releases different fragrances triggered by code embedded in the CD.

‘The company that invented the technology for ZAN’s scent-enabled CD is TriSenx Holdings Inc., also based in Savannah. TriSenx beat out a number of other research and development firms in a multimillion dollar race to create and patent the technology. Founded in 1999 by Ellwood Ivey, Jr., TriSenx’s mission is to develop multi-sensory products that enable digital olfactory diffusion, especially in the field of education. Its patent-protected technology is available for licensing in a variety of fields-of-use.’ –Techgiant.com

 

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‘AromaJet.com announced today that it has demonstrated interactive transmission of Synthesized Smell over IP (IPsmell(TM)). Using an interactive program that allows for the creation of aromas by mixing sixteen separate ingredients in 1% increments, Dr. David B. Wallace, AromaJet’s Chief Technical Officer, transmitted a number of distinct fragrances from Sidney, Australia to an AromaJet Kiosk at AromaJet’s offices in Plano, TX. Both Dr. Wallace’s portable computer and the AromaJet kiosk were connected to the Internet and communicated with each other through AromaJet’s SmellServer(TM).

‘Within seconds of sending a fragrance from Dr. Wallace’s computer, the AromaJet Kiosk received the data required for it to create the aroma. A description of the fragrance was sent and displayed to AromaJet engineers in Plano asking if they wanted to accept it. After accepting the fragrance, the kiosk immediately generated the scent from a given set of ingredients, using AromaJet’s patented aroma generation hardware & software.’ — Gameadvance.co.uk

 

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‘Philips introduced its amBX range back in 2005 – a group of interlocking technologies that it hopes will revolutionise the gaming experience and extend the gaming world out of the screen and into the real world. Now, Philips is preparing to add ‘smell-o-vision’ to the mix. The initial amBX experience took us a step towards a full ‘sensory surround experience’ through colour, sound, rumble and even an air flow-enabled device.

‘Over the next year, Philips is looking to step up the amBX experience by introducing smell and heat technology to really make us feel the games that we are playing. The senior director of program management at amBX told HEXUS.gaming that, ‘Tests are being carried out to tweak the smell technology. At the moment we can can produce the smells – but we’re still working on getting rid of them’.’ — Impact Lab

 

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‘When fragrance is used in spatial designs, it is mostly for branding purposes or for suggestive advertising (e.g. pumping the smell of coffee out onto a street to lure people into a shop).

‘Scents of Space, by Haque Design and Research, tries to explore the potentials for developing evocative and memorable experiences using the sense of smell. This interactive smell system allows for 3D placement of fragrances without dispersion, enabling the creation of dynamic olfactory zones and boundaries.

‘Airflow within the space is generated by an array of fans. Moving air is then controlled by a series of diffusion screens to provide smooth and continuous laminar airflow. Computer-controlled fragrance dispensers and careful air control enable parts of the space to be selectively scented without dispersing through the entire space.’ — Kunstvist.nl

 

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‘Mobile phone manufacturer Motorola wants to make using your phone a more fragrant experience. It was recently granted a patent for a way of making a handset release scents by heating a special cartridge. It was inspired by the way plug-in air fresheners work. The patent notes that it might not be necessary to modify a phone’s design much. Tests showed that the power amplifier in some Motorola phones reaches about 60ºC – hot enough to activate the fragrance in a disposable gel sachet.

‘Abstract: A communication device such as a cellular telephone (200) includes a heat-generating device (206) that generates heat energy. In thermal proximity to the heat-generating device (206) is a scent package (208) that includes a scented substance that is activated by the heat generated by the heat-generating device (206). In one embodiment of the invention, the heat-generating device (206) is a power amplifier. In another embodiment of the invention, a method of providing a scent in a communication device comprises providing a heat-generating device and placing a scent package in thermal proximity to the heat-generating device. The heat-generating device can be a power amplifier used by the communication device, or other electrical circuit found in the communication device.’ — New Scientist

 

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‘Frederik Duerinck isn’t a jeweller, but his next project is a necklace. This piece, though, doesn’t feature a precious stone as a pendant, but rather a small box. Right now, it measures a slightly unwieldy 5cm by 5cm (2in x 2in), but Duerinck is determined to shrink it down to the size of a die. It is no simple ornament either.

‘Inside the cube is a battery and scenting system designed to deliver a puff of fragrance on demand that Duerinck describes as a “scent bubble”. The Netherlands-based entrepreneur is the co-founder of startup Scentronix, which already operates a perfume printing machine. That device uses an algorithm to build a bespoke scent based on a customer’s answers in a questionnaire. But now Deurinck wants to deploy the same technology in miniature so that digital scenting can be mobile.

‘Wear one to the movies, for example, and you could use an app on your phone to program it to play along, dispensing discreet scents at key moments. The ultimate device is nowhere near ready, Duerinck acknowledges – its current size and battery life are hurdles, as is the quality of the scent and the projection. But he remains optimistic. “We have proof of concept with our prototype, and there’s nothing out there right now which works that way, so we’re applying for a patent.” The next step, he hopes, is to finesse it enough to win over investors and secure funding for further development on a wearable version.’ — BBC

 

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‘Having a video chat with a friend or colleague is all about seeing and hearing — at least for now. But experiments conducted recently in Malaysia suggest it may be possible to develop “electric smell” technology capable of conveying odors as well as sights and sounds.

‘The research is preliminary and not without its critics. But if electric smell pans out, long-distance conversations could one day be far more immersive — enabling you to share with a loved one the aroma of a meal you just prepared, for example, or letting you catch a whiff of the sea from your sister’s beach vacation.

‘“It’s not just about the smell,” said Adrian Cheok, one of the scientists behind the experiments. “It is part of a whole, integrated virtual reality or augmented reality. So, for example, you could have a virtual dinner with your friend through the internet. You can see them in 3D and also share a glass of wine together.”

‘In real life, odors are transmitted when airborne molecules waft into the nose, prompting specialized nerve cells in the upper airway to fire off impulses to the brain. In the recent experiments, performed on 31 test subjects at the Imagineering Institute in the Malaysian city of Nusajaya, researchers used electrodes in the nostrils to deliver weak electrical currents above and behind the nostrils, where these neurons are found. The researchers were able to evoke 10 different virtual odors, including fruity, woody and minty.’ — MACH

 

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‘The smartphone has certainly ushered in a state of hyper-connectivity, where the sharing of information over long distances, even to the other side of the world, is a simple tweet, email or Snapchat away. While these platforms offer up plenty of content for our eyes and ears, some feel that our noses are missing out on all the fun and have developed the oPhone, a Bluetooth-enabled odor emitting device designed to enable users to send smells to one another as a text or email.

‘Connecting to a user’s smartphone via Bluetooth, the oPhone allows odors, or “oNotes”, to be sent as an email, tweet or text message. It is the brainchild of Harvard Professor David Edwards and two of his design students, Rachel Field and Amy Yin, who have established Vapor Communications operating out of Le Laboratorie (Le Lab) in Paris to bring the device to market.

‘Four specially-designed “oChips” are built into the oPhone in order to translate these profiles into smells. These chips combine to allow the creation thousands of different scents, which when emitted form a cloud around six inches (15 cm) in diameter that lingers for 20 to 30 seconds. The oPhone isn’t the first device we’ve seen designed to allow odors to conquer the tyranny of distance.’ — New Atlas

 

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‘Adrian Cheok, professor of pervasive computing at City University London and the director of Singapore’s Mixed Reality Labs, decided to figure out the best ways to connect our other senses to digital environments. That definitely includes smell and taste, along with touch, and those sensations can be a bit more difficult to “render” with technology.

‘Previous attempts at recreating smell and taste required chemical emissions to provide those sensations, but that method was never practical and ultimately failed (see: Smell-O-Vision). Instead, Cheok wants to avoid creating stimuli and just manipulate your brain, as he explained in an interview with Motherboard:

“We want to transmit smells without using any chemical, so what we’re going to do is use magnetic coils to stimulate the olfactory bulb part of the brain associated with smell. At first, our plan was to insert them through the skull, but unfortunately the olfactory part of the brain is at the bottom, and doing deep-brain stimulation is very difficult. Anyway, our present idea is to place the coils at the back of your mouth. There is a bone there called the palatine bone, which is very close to the region of your brain that makes you perceive smells and tastes. In that way we’ll be able to make you feel them just by means of magnetic actuation.”

‘Cheok wants to create digital restaurant menus that let us smell each dish through our smartphones, software that makes us feel like we’re cuddling with our significant when they’re thousands of miles away, and even applications that can improve moods through target smells and tastes. Transmitting scent and tactile feeling has obvious applications in the virtual sex/pornography industry as well.’ — next.reality.news

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p.s. Hey. ** L@rst, Hi, L. Cool, happy you liked Muller’s stuff. Your link didn’t work, but I found the goods. Yeah, sweet. I love that kind of thing. I tingled. Nice about seeing Malkmus. I think I said this before, but, even though I’m allergic to reunion shows, I’m gonna go see Pavement when they play here this summer. Can’t help it for some reason. Big up. ** David Ehrenstein, Ah. Then I’ll watch ‘Nightmare’, probably on my laptop though. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Me too, and every day my answer is a more confused sounding ‘I don’t know.’ Thank you for tightness of your crossed fingers. Today there’s a meeting that might lead to funding to further develop/finish Zac’s/ Sabrina’s/ Puce Mary’s and my video game-like Haunted House project, so I’ll siphon off just a bit of yours crossed fingers’ magic for that. Your love’s attire + date sounds like the makings of a dream date to me, ha ha. Love eliminating the concept and mental image of the mermaid from the imaginations of everyone on earth, G. ** Jack Skelley, Hey, Skell! Nice recreating with your son there, dude. You’re a top of the line dad. I hope you’re right about this being my birth month because I need all kinds of presents! Smash your head on the punk rock, dude! ** _Black_Acrylic, Huh. Good question. I should’ve thought to look, silly me. ** Bill, Hey. I know Dave a little, and I think he works from photos, but I do think those records are undoubtedly in his unbelievably gigantic vinyl collection. Yeah, I’m thinking ‘Nightmare’ via soap2day is the way to go. ** Jamie, Hey, hey, J. Thanks! ‘Prayers’ that that ‘tentative’ is out of the equation soon. Oh, man, that experimental film group project sounds like heaven. What have you seen there? Or seen that you especially liked or didn’t? Paris continues to feel pretty normal and easy re: Covid. Mandated masks outdoors, although a lot of people aren’t. Nothing’s closed. Huge venue concerts restricted or cancelled, but most concerts/shows happening as usual. Vax/booster pass needed to enter everything that isn’t just a store. But it feels strangely chill and unencumbered here. Even though the new cases continue to shoot up and up. Odd, really, but I’m not complaining. You have a Thursday that’s like a high speed month. ** Niko, Hi, Niko. I’m happy my thoughts helped. Yeah, as long as you’re obsessed, it should be fine. That’s my general policy about my things. Do let me know what happens, and enjoy the intensity of the writing and fixing. There’s no greater pleasure, in my opinion. Take care. ** David, Hi. Dude, you’ve had so much sex it makes even my active imagination’s theoretical jaw drop. I’m going google Hilbre. Sounds, you know, very beautiful, the whole day. Curry too. Chips even. I need boots. My feet are like ice sculptures. ** Steve Erickson, Congrats on the laptop and Miike work return! Mm, possibly, re: that work you saw on FB. It’s hard to imagine a film of less interest than that new ‘Scream’. Thanks for confirming my ennui. ** Brendan, Hi, B. Awesome that my fave songs found some favor with you. There are few bodies of work better than the original Alice Cooper band at their peak: ‘Love it to Death’ -> ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ ‘Killer’, from whence ‘Halo of Flies’ came, is my fave. There’s an awesome Melvins cover of ‘HoF’. Every time I listen to ‘Here Come the Rome Plows’ I think it’s the greatest song ever recorded. I feel very happy and hungry about a possible ‘Safer at Home’ post, no surprise. Yeah, that would be ultra-stellar if you don’t mind. Thanks a zil, maestro. ** Paul Curran, Hi, Paul. Happy you dug his stuff. I did wonder whether Ishida’s genitals might sneak its way into your novel. Wow, the Apocalypse Party thing is a short novel by you? Holy shit, that’s such great, great news! I’m already dying for it. Awesome, man! And with a Kier-based face! Such good news, Paul. Huge yay. ** Brian, Hey, Brian. I think charming works. I’m down with charming. Oh, btw, the performances of Gisele’s and my ‘Crowd’ at BAM are in October. I don’t know the exact dates yet, but I’ll let you know. It’s doing a little North American tour: NYC, Minneapolis, Montreal, Los Angeles. The Mishima story was called ‘Thermos Flasks’. I have a post on a book by Ingeborg Bachmann coming up later this week. She’s amazing. Oh, wow, ‘Gone’, yeah. I’m glad you’re finding stuff in there. It’s still kind of weird to me that it was made public, but I signed off on it. Yes, the destruction/ censoring of it was and remains a huge shock and source of great anger for me. And they (Fales) lied to me about it until they were forced to admit to having done it. Ugly. Anyway, thanks for giving it brain space. I never watch TV shows, but I have heard buzz about ‘Euphoria’. Hm, maybe I’ll a dip into it and see. Thank you for the witchy energy. Oh, god, it would be so great if that funding comes through. I hope your Thursday is like that tornado in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. ** Right. Here’s an odd, nerdy old post from my murdered blog that I decided to restore for reasons that escape me at the moment. See you tomorrow.