Smell -- Engadget

smell posts

Nissan's Forest AC blows wild scents through your ride, keeps you alert

by Darren Murph posted Jul 27th 2009 at 7:17AM

And here you were thinking Mercedes-Benz's Attention Assist system was the thing in driver alertness aides. In a rather odd, nearly jocose press release, Nissan has revived our faith in corporate R&D with the glorious introduction of the Forest AC. In short, this new air conditioning system "systematically controls cabin temperature, ventilation, aroma and humidity to create an optimal interior environment." Still bewildered? It means that the system can tap into an array of sensors in order to find out exactly what environment is best for your current state of mind, and if it needs to, it'll blast your nostrils with gusts of fresh forest in order to increase alertness while keeping stress levels down. The zaniest part of all, however, isn't the idea of using various aromas to keep one's attention; it's the fact that this system is actually scheduled for installation on a vehicle (the Fuga) that'll ship this fiscal year in Japan.

NASA's new e-nose can detect scent of cancerous brain cells

by Ross Miller posted May 2nd 2009 at 11:41AM

NASA's recently developed electronic nose, intended for air quality monitoring on Space Shuttle Endeavour and later the International Space Station, has a rather fortunate and unintended secondary role. In addition to being able to detect contaminants within about one to 10,000 parts per million, scientists have discovered it can also sniff out the difference in odor between normal and cancerous brain cells -- not a new use for e-noses, but certainly one that helps to advance the field. Groups such the as Brain Mapping Foundation, City of Hope Cancer Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been testing the technology and hope it one day leads to a new understanding of cancer development. We'd also wager it can accurately detect what cologne or perfume you're wearing, another unintended side effect and probably not as fun of a party trick as it seems.

[Via Slashdot; image courtesy of RSC]

J-ware odor-free underwear could hit Targets, midsections soon

by Darren Murph posted Mar 25th 2009 at 4:21PM

Truthfully, there's just not enough work being done in the area of advanced underpants, so we're absolutely elated to hear that textile experts at Japan Women's University in Tokyo are picking up the slack and moving forward with an amazing development. Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to live on the International Space Station, is current testing the "odor-free" clothing, and it's said that he can rock the same drawers without any pungent smells for a solid week. The garb is designed to "kill bacteria, absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly," and as if that wasn't awesome enough, they're also flame-resistant and anti-static. The best news? There are already talks of bringing this stuff to the commercial realm. Don't deny it -- you're already thinking of how stellar it'd be to wash clothes just once per month.

Pine-scented ASUS F6V laptop gets unboxed, smelled

by Darren Murph posted Dec 16th 2008 at 2:34PM

We're not ones to just abruptly stick our nostrils in someone's business, but we couldn't help but drift over when waltzing by PC Authority's most recent unboxing. The smell we caught was of pine, and given that it's a pine-scented ASUS F6V that's being unwrapped, we suppose that all adds up. On the real, testers took note of an "unmistakable wafting scent of a pine forest, floating on the summer breeze and carrying away their troubles" as they cracked the seal on the carefree machine. For those curious, the scent was far from overbearing, though it was strong enough to separate itself from, um, non-smelly alternatives. Sadly, critics also mentioned that the odor had "almost entirely disappeared" after it had sat out in the open for a few hours, and at last check, there's no way to recharge or refill these things. Ah well, pack a few Christmas Tree Air Fresheners™ and you'll never know the difference.

[Thanks, Geller]

NASA's newest e-nose for ISS thinks you're wearing too much cologne

by Laura June posted Nov 21st 2008 at 12:41PM

Electronic noses are nothing new, but it's always interesting when you throw space into the mix. NASA's most recent Endeavor mission has taken with it a third generation e-nose that's the size of a shoebox, where it will act as a detection and warning system for air contaminants. The ISS currently has no system and relies wholly on the astronauts' actual noses. Developed and built by AEMC, the new nose's dynamic range is from less than one part per million to about 10,000 parts per million -- much more sensitive than human honkers. The e-nose has 32 sensors made of polymer films that respond to different chemicals by changing electrical conductivity, and it's capable of both detecting and analyzing what it "smells." The nose is going to be operational on the space station for a beginning trial period of six months, and we have a feeling that its first accomplishment will be to point out that there's something strange about the water.

[Via Physorg]

ASUS' FV6 scented laptops now on sale: gotta smell 'em all

by Darren Murph posted Sep 23rd 2008 at 2:26AM

We're still struggling to believe that these are real, but apparently ASUS really is going to sneak a few scented laptops out to the eight prospective buyers still willing to pull the trigger after thinking it through. After being announced among of a slew of other machines late last month, the FV6 series of Fragrance Notebooks is up for sale right now. $1,274.99 gets you the FV6-C1, which evidently smells just like the color blue. We're sure the TSA will just love your explanation for this.

[Via LaptopMag, thanks Rasmi]

Researchers aim to detect skin cancer via scent

by Darren Murph posted Aug 22nd 2008 at 2:58PM

Here's an interesting one. A group of US experts have discovered that a common form of skin cancer could one day be detected very early on by simply analyzing scents. More specifically, it was found that basal cell carcinomas give off an odor that is distinctly different than samples from healthy skin, which obviously opens up the possibility for "cheap and painless testing." In the future, researchers are hoping to create scent profiles for other types of skin cancer, including the infamous malignant melanoma. Believe it or not, a machine may be only one of the devices used to eventually sniff cancerous cells -- similar research is ongoing using canines and their remarkably sensitives schnozes.

AOKI's deodorizing suits keep you so fresh, so clean (clean)

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2008 at 3:43PM

We're not even going to front -- some seriously bizarre air conditioning-related gizmos have emerged from the great nation of Japan. The latest concoction to deal with heat wave side effects actually has nothing to do with keeping folks cool; rather, AOKI's deodorant suits are designed to keep businessmen suffering from Hyperhidrosis adequately fresh. Most of the details are lost in (machine) translation, but all you need to know is that these outfits "suck out the smell of sweat using a silver ion." Yeah, that's totally worth the ¥61,950 ($575) asking price.

[Via CrunchGear, image courtesy of ListVerse]

Scent-emitting advertising trial sniffs out suckers in Japan

by Darren Murph posted Jul 28th 2008 at 10:52PM

Apparently July is a hot month for ad trials in Japan, as just weeks after a number of 65-inch digital posters were installed in a Tokyo train station, in flies word that yet another consumer-luring installation is being tested. Recruit and NTT Communications are delivering Scent-emitting LCD Display Systems to an underground mall in the heart of Japan, each of which rely on a 42-inch LCD and a scent-sprayer that emits delightful odors to correspond with the on-screen imagery. The goal is to attract onlookers and get them to grab a nearby coupon book, but considering that the experiment shuts down on August 1st, you should probably get your nose down there in a hurry if you're looking to score some savings.

German companies developing scented text messages

by Nilay Patel posted May 3rd 2008 at 10:48AM

Virtually every smell-based tech that's come through the pipe has fizzled out in one way or another, but that checkered past isn't stopping Germany's ConVisual from partnering with the Institute of Sensory Analysis and Marketing on scent-delivery chips for cell phones. The partnership has been running for eight years and just received a patent on the tech, and the goal now is to start building the chips into phone within the next two years. The chip is initially supposed to have 100 different smells on it, and ConVisual says bad smells are a possibility as users will be able to reject certain messages. That's certainly interesting, but we've got to say, we're not all that keen on the idea of people having even more ways to emit odors -- we'll stick with the non-smelly cellys, thanks much.

[Via EE TImes]

Arologic wireless scenting solution makes PlugIns weep

by Darren Murph posted Apr 24th 2008 at 11:46AM

We've seen wirelessly-enabled fish tanks, gardens and even sprinkler systems, so it's about time we saw a solution to blast out aromas in less-than-pleasant areas without having to wander in there with our poor nostrils exposed. Air Aroma's Arologic claims to be the world's first wireless scenting contraption, giving owners the ability to control a network of scent diffusers remotely. Within multiple "scent zones," scenters (that's what the cool kids are calling 'em these days) can "activate a scent, vary the intensity or even change the aroma." Regrettably, there's no pricing information to mull over just yet, but Arologic should be available in most of the firm's diffusers sometime in Q3.

Rockefeller University scientists figure out how to see smells

by Darren Murph posted Dec 26th 2007 at 8:38AM

We already knew that select scientists were working up an advanced electronic nose, but now a team at Rockefeller University has apparently figured out a way to actually see smells. Supposedly, these gurus closely investigated fly larvae and found that sensing odors "in stereo" enabled flies to navigate to smells much more effectively than when only one olfactory organ was used. As they studied said phenomenon, the researchers used a "novel spectroscopic technique that exploited infrared light to create environments where they could see, control and precisely quantify the distribution of these smells." Impressive though this may be, we still prefer the ole GPS method to locating our favorite fare, but beholding those delightful aromas could certainly help out in a pinch.

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of Noendo]

Researchers developing advanced electronic nose

by Darren Murph posted Nov 24th 2007 at 8:07AM

Creating minuscule devices that can mimic olfactory systems is nothing new, but an international team of researchers are reportedly working to improve an existing design by basing it on metal oxide nanowires. Granted, the actual technology is a bit above our noses, er, heads, but according to Dr. Andrei Kolmakov, the team's aim was to "demonstrate the excellent performance of a practical device made by combining bottom-up fabricated SnO2 nanowires / nanobelts as sensing elements with a multi-electrode KAMINA [e-nose] platform." More specifically, these gurus decided to implement a "completely new morphology of the sensing layer" composed of tin oxide nanowires rather than the traditional thin-film sensing element. Not surprisingly, those working on perfecting the device are hoping to one day have it installed in areas where intelligent sensor systems are used, but we wouldn't overlook the possibility of finding these things embedded in shirts of the future for those paranoid about their freshness.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

CafeScribe gives ebook readers musty smell of the real thing

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 24th 2007 at 6:57AM

While ebooks have a lot going for them, it's hard to overcome losing the satisfaction that comes from handling a physical book -- the texture of the pages, the ability to flip around quickly, and yes, the smell. Other companies might be working on solutions to the harder problems, but ebook content provider CafeScribe is going pretty low-tech to give your laptop screen the same scent as a textbook: the company is shipping "musty-smelling" scratch-and-sniff stickers with every ebook order. The promotion comes in response to a survey showing that 43 percent of students identified smell as the thing they most liked about their favorite books, but we're not so sure -- we had some used textbooks in college that we're definitely not eager to smell again.

MICRODIA's Fruity USB flash drives: now in four great scents

by Darren Murph posted Jul 26th 2007 at 7:01AM

While not nearly as lavish as Debreu's Scent Drive, MICRODIA is delivering its own set of scented flash drives for those who just can't keep their USB storage away from those nostrils. Reportedly, the USB 2.0 Fruity Flash Keys will arrive in four different flavors, so those who tend to prefer strawberry, grape, green apple, or (Engadget's personal favorite) orange should be thrilled by the selection. Each drive will supposedly be available in sizes ranging from a mere 128MB to 4GB, and while pricing and availability details aren't yet available, we'll keep our nose to the ground for any future information.

[Via Gearlog]