Archive for August, 2008
Will scent ever truly make it to the internet?
Did you know that back during the dot-com boom, an Oakland, CA-based company called DigiScents created a USB-connected scent synthesizer called the iSmell? Hooked up to a computer or gaming console, it was supposed to enable scented email, web pages, and games using essential oils and an internal fan. The buzz was so big that it was featured on the cover of Wired magazine. Sadly, lacking the venture capital to move beyond the prototype iSmell machine, DigiScents shut down after two years, and the iSmell was never to be.
Since the failure of DigiScents, Korean technology experts have predicted that internet-delivered scent will be commonplace by 2015. Tokyo, Japan-based NTT Communications has been forging ahead with its own attempts. In 2006 NTT release the USB-connected Aroma Geur device, which syncs scent with what’s playing on the radio, via internet-sent instructions from the radio station. More recently, NTT’s working with the internet-based ability to send scents from your phone, as well as a more sophisticated, internet-controlled fragrance dispenser, currently being used in conjunction with NTT’s scent-emitting signage.
Thanks to CNN for their interesting article about scent marketing and the quest to bring fragrance to the internet, which is what inspired this post.
Add comment August 29, 2008
NTT releases scent-emitting signage to the public
After over 9 months of testing, Japanese telecommunications company NTT has finally made their scent-emitting digital signage available for commercial use outside Japan. The signage is paired with a network-based fragrance communication system: scents emitted are programmed via the internet to correspond with the sound and video display on the sign. The scent-emitting system is available starting at US$1,400.
In trials last year, a cosmetics company said the scent-emitting signs attracted twice as much attention as the non-scented signs, and an ice cream shop increased its sales by 30% with a sign that emitted the scent of vanilla ice cream.
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Add comment August 29, 2008
Scent scientist talks in Brooklyn Sept. 3
Folks in the New York City area will be interested in next week’s meeting of The Secret Science Club. Neuroscientist Leslie Vosshall will be talking all about smell. She’s head of Rockefeller University’s Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, as well as an investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and her current studies are are all about scent. Dr. Vosshall will be talking about scent, sexual attraction, and global health.
The Secret Science Club
Wed., September 3, 2008
basement of Union Hall
702 Union St. @ 5th Ave
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-638-4400
Doors open at 7:30 p
Lecture at 8
Cost: FREE
More at the Secret Science Club
Add comment August 27, 2008
Scented laptop gets ready for market
Check out the latest special-edition notebook offering from Taiwan-based company Asus. It’s 13.3″ and scented in aromas like “floral blossom,” “morning dew” and “musky black.” The lifespan of the scent apparently depends upon computer usage, which is perhaps a reflection of the fact that the scent is released by the heat of the machine. Details about the scent technology being used in the notebook aren’t being disclosed.
Read more at Asus.com
Add comment August 22, 2008
Skin odors used to identify cancer
According to scientists at the Monell Institute, skin cancer has a distinct odor. A recent report details the odor profile for basal cell carcinoma, determined via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. This is the first research to identify and quantify the details of such odors. Such odor profiling will eventually allow cancer detection with an electronic nose, perhaps before visible symptoms are present. (Picture the tricorder used in the TV show Star Trek.) Current methods for skin cancer diagnosis involve surgical biopsy, something that can only be done after a tumor is visible. Monell scientists continue to work on gathering data for profiles of other, more dangerous forms of skin cancer.
Read more at Physorg.com
Add comment August 20, 2008
Hotel chain extends its brand scent to the skies
Westin Hotels & Resorts has partnered with United Airlines to provide a package of Westin-branded bedding and amenities to United passengers who fly first and business class. Westin’s signature “White Tea” scent is served to customers in the form of a scented towelette, along with the music selection Westin features in its hotel lobbies, the Westin-branded “Heavenly Bed” products, and a cocktail inspired by the Westin-branded “SuperFoods” program. Basically, minus the mattresses and showers, it’s a hotel in the air.
Read more at MarketWatch.
Add comment August 19, 2008
Testing developed for measuring kids’ ability to smell
Until recently, there were no good tests available for measuring the ability to smell in children. Available studies were too lengthy for kids, and measured response to odors that kids hadn’t necessarily been exposed to, even if they could smell them. A new study has changed all that. Australian scientists found 16 different odors that most kids ages 5-7 can identify. The 16 odors represent 4 sections of the palate: salty, bitter, sour, and sweet. (There was no mention in the study of the fifth category umami, the savory taste for which receptors are available everywhere on the tongue.) The 16 odors represented include floral, orange, strawberry, fish, chocolate, baby powder, paint, cut grass, sour, minty, onion, Vicks Vapo-rub, spicy, antiseptic, cheese, and gasoline. Because of the study, several standard smell and taste tests are now able to diagnose the level of smell and taste function in young children.
Read more in Medical News Today
Add comment August 16, 2008
