Is Smell-O-Vision a Possibility?
Somehow I think we all knew that a gadget that could generate realistic odors was going to be developed eventually, even if it always seemed like something out a cheesy sci-fi movie. Well, eventually seems to be now: according to The Guardian, the Tokyo Institute of Technology, in a project headed up by Pambuk Somboon, is developing a piece of technology that uses 15 chemical sensors to analyze the component pieces of an odor. The on-board computer then uses the analysis to synthesize the smell from a list of 96 non-toxic chemicals stored in the machine. Because the computer stores the information, it can be tailored by a manufacturer to meet specific needs – including, of course, manufacturing smells for television. You thought those restaurant commercials made you hungry now? Just imagine if your living room smelled like the food in the ad afterwards.
