Have you ever wondered why Smell-O-Vision never really took off? It’s not because it would be too difficult technologically – it wouldn’t. The biggest hurdle is that people want to see and hear their entertainment, and sometimes feel it, as in the case of rumble packs in video game controllers, but we’re okay with not smelling the perfume a movie character is wearing.

A South Korean startup is trying to rally support for the idea of aroma-enhanced entertainment with a system they call Aromajoin. Entrepreneur Dong Wook Kim remembered his mother remarking when he was a child that smell would shortly follow color in television, and he never let go of the idea. He researched the idea for years, and after receiving his PhD he developed machines that would release odors from solid scent cartridges. The “Aroma Shooters” use fans to push out small amounts of aromas to coincide with pictures on a screen.

Each aroma cartridge is capable of shooting three-second aroma bursts more than 45,000 times. The smells dissipate quickly so they don’t stick around after they are released, and up to six scents can be mixed at a time to create custom aromas. The Aroma Player software used to control the scent release is a little like sound editing software: you find the moment in the video where you want a scent to be released, then drag and drop the appropriate aroma. The software sends out the little puffs of scent corresponding with images at just the right moment.

Currently, Aromajoin offers about 500 scents and the system costs $2,550. Kim is the only person in the world who knows exactly how the whole contraption comes together. He outsources the hardware and circuit boards, but the final assembly is done by the inventor personally in his lab. His ultimate goal for the technology is to make scent as ubiquitous as sound in advertisements and atmosphere creation. Initial markets could include movie theaters, convenience stores, digital advertising, and even the regular person sitting at home and watching their color TV.

The post Smell Your TV Shows With a $2500 Aroma Emitting System first appeared on Gajitz.

It’s said that smell is the sense most closely related to memory, and if astronauts are any indication then that saying is true. Space travelers report that Earth smells are some of the things they miss the most while they are out on missions, but a wearable device can help them connect with their home planet through customized olfactory experiences.

The Senti8 is a wristband with several cones and LEDs around its length. Icons next to every cone indicate what scent that cone represents. A quick burst of steam from the cone releases the aroma. The cartridges are replaceable and can be controlled via a smartphone app. The device even lets you share scents with far-away friends who also have a Senti8 by way of the app.

This fantastically offbeat device won the 2014 NASA Space Apps Challenge. In addition to the novelty factor, the Senti8 also has a practical purpose: it can be used to keep astronauts’ senses sharp while in space. The numbing of senses is a real problem for astronauts, so maybe it will take a crazy genius invention like this one to help ease at least one side effect of space travel.

The post Space Smells: Wearable Band Brings Earth Scents to Space first appeared on Gajitz.

The human race can never seem to learn from its mistakes. Dubbed one of the worst inventions ever, Smell-o-Vision was a forehead-slap of an idea from the 1960’s. You would think time had buried this concept, but a product called Scentee has already made its way into humanity’s collective nostril.

A small smart phone attachment, Scentee features various scent cartridges that emit smells when you tap on your screen. The accompanying video seems to suggest ceasing actually eating food and instead “tasting and savoring food with your nose.” A good idea for dieters, perhaps, but it may just stimulate your hunger enough to make you actually crave those foods.

The available scents range from pleasant (rose, lavender, strawberry), to not-so-pleasant (corn soup, grilled short-ribs) to downright bizarre (buttered potatoes, beef tongue). It’s basically molecular gastronomy for your cell phone.

The post Smell-O-Phone Attachment Wants to Invade Your Nose first appeared on Gajitz.