Scientists make digital nose that can sniff and send scents over the internet

Scientists have invented a technology through which people would be able to share scents over the internet, just like photos, audio and videos. The device is known as Scentronic and is an “olfactory interface for remote odour sharing and transmission," as described in the study. It works around a robotic nose that can identify a scene in one place and transfer that information using digital data to a different location, where another device recreates the scent.

The researchers said that in the future, Scentronic can help people get a whiff of a perfume online before buying it, besides the many other ways it can be used. What they have right now is only a prototype that can identify and recreate five scents: coffee, cake, oranges, beer and red wine.

Lead author Chunyu Yang, a PhD researcher at Ohio State University, says they intend to fill a gap in the market with Scentronic. "Much of the research in this area focuses on sight, sound and touch, while smell has received comparatively less attention," Yang said. He added that they wanted to bring the “missing sensory dimension into digital communication.”

How does Scentronic work?

The system comprises an electronic nose fitted with six gas sensors. They detect volatile organic compounds that cause odours to be released from food, perfumes and other things. The chemical that each sensor detects determines how it responds, which is different for each of them. This leads to a distinct pattern of electrical signals, which are then converted into digital data.

The researchers trained an AI system to recognise the scents, identifying which pattern belonged to which smell. After it identifies the smell, the nose sends the data over the internet. The other device contains small containers of scented liquid and tiny electrically powered discs. The discs can vibrate more than 100,000 times a second, which forces the liquid to pass through microscopic holes. This produces a fine mist which releases the appropriate smell.

The other device has its own fragrances to recreate the scent, meaning no actual scent is travelling over the internet. The technology is only meant to detect and recreate a scent that is sent to it, and cannot create fragrances on its own. It can create the smell of coffee, but not the exact type of coffee.

In tests, Scentronic was able to identify and recreate the five scents it had been trained on with 96 per cent accuracy. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.