Archive for June, 2007
English smoking ban makes room for more pleasant aromas
A new smoking ban takes effect in England next week, creating a new frontier in the UK for ambient scenting companies. Club owners, concerned that customers will now be faced with the smell of stale beer and the perhaps less-than-hygenic aroma of their fellow clubbers, are enlisting the services of companies like Ambius. Ambius, a division of Rentokil, is negotiating with pubs across the UK to provide ambient scents through the pubs’ air conditioning systems. Ambius uses Prolitec scenting technology. Read more at <a href=”http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070626-0641-smokingban-smells-.html
“>The Union-Tribune
Add comment June 28, 2007
Origami phone identifies callers with scent
Forget about ring tones, Nokia’s got a concept phone in the works that will let users identify callers via user-customizable scents. And not only that, it’s flat and folded, like an origami paper airplane. The Nokia Scentsory cellphone idea also includes capabilities for wellness aromatherapy. Read more at Ubergizmo
Add comment June 16, 2007
Catnip magic explained
Catnip contains a volatile oil that is essentially an artificial cat pheromone, says Ramona Turner in Scientific American. According to Turner, the volatile oil nepetalactone provokes an olfactory event that gives messages to the amygdala and the hypothalamus, areas of the brain that mediate and regulate emotional and sexual responses. The effects of catnip last about 10 minutes. Susceptibility to catnip is hereditary, and enjoyed by 70-80% of cats, who don’t exhibit the response until close to sexual maturity, about 6 months old. Read more in Scientific American
Add comment June 15, 2007
Concept phone has an ENose
How about a phone that monitors your diet and exercise? Designer Kristina Lee has masterminded a phone that will do just that. The phone, still in the concept stage, uses NASA-developed Electronic Nose (”ENose”) technology to identify what you eat by interpreting its olfactory signature. The phone will then analyze the information, and inform users what food groups they’re lacking. The phone also allows networking with other users who have similar interests, so your friends can monitor your eating and workout habits. Read more about the phone at Yanko Design, and more about ENose technology at NASA
Add comment June 14, 2007
Hotel scent branding on the rise
Scent branding in hotels is on the rise. Numerous hotel chains across the US, including Westin, Omni, Marriott, Hyatt and others are scenting their public spaces in an effort to create sensory-based brand identities. According to a report in Hotel and Motel Management, midmarket hotels such as the Courtyard Marriott are also investigating the possibilities of this type of sensory branding. Popular methods of delivery include the hotels’ HVAC systems and strategically placed scent machines. Regarding guests with scent sensitivities, a Westin executive is reported to have received only two comments from sensitive guests, both of whom thought they’d have a problem, but didn’t. Read more at Hotel and Motel Management and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Add comment June 13, 2007
Science of Fragrance Award goes to Jay Gottfried
Dr. Jay Gottfried of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine was awarded the 2007 Science of Fragrance Award. The award, sponsored jointly by the Sense of Smell Institute and the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, was bestowed on Gottfried in honor of his work on olfactory perception. Gottfried’s research shows that human perception of odors can be changed at both behavioral and neural levels. The study suggests that perception of fragrances can be enhanced if linked to potent emotional cues, such as in advertising, branding and package design. Read more at SOSI
Add comment June 2, 2007
