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Smell Camera Snapshots Scents For the Future

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-smells dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Designer Amy Radcliffe has created an 'analog odor camera' that can be used to recreate a smell. From the article: 'When a smell source is placed under the device's glass cone, a pump extracts the smell via a plastic tube. After being drawn to Madeleine's main unit, the smell goes through a resin trap which absorbs the particles so molecular information can be recorded. That data is expressed in a graph-like formula, which essentially contains a fingerprint of the smell. In a special lab, that formula can then be inscribed on a bronze disk to artificially reproduce the smell. The smell can also be recreated in small vials.'"

6 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Cheap Perfume by iggymanz · · Score: 3, Funny

    no worries, the reproduced scent would be approximate. this has been tried before with collection of supposed "primary scents" but with little success when judged by real human noses.

      I predict a limited market for augmenting internet porn.

  2. Moderator is drunk again by Princeofcups · · Score: 3, Funny

    "In a special lab, that formula can then be inscribed on a bronze disk to artificially reproduce the smell." What, is this from the Church of Mormon?

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    1. Re:Moderator is drunk again by icebike · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually it said:

      In a special lab, that formula can then be inscribed on a bronze disk to artificially reproduce the smell. The smell can also be recreated in small vials.'"

      Neither of these sound optimum. What you would want is the building blocks of those scents stored in little plastic ink-jst like cartridges, each holding half a dozen or so different molecule mixtures. It would be vitally important to size these cartridges so that the most common components would be in the smallest cells, such that it would run out first, requiring you to buy the entire cartridge well before the rest of the compounds were exhausted, You also want to be sure it isn't refillable.

      Then you can almost give the smell generator away, and make a fortune selling smell-cartridges.
      This would allow you to sell the entire patent structure to HP, and retire on your profits, and thumb your noses (figuratively and literally) at the world by releasing the first Olfactory Goatse.

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  3. New perfume by PPH · · Score: 5, Funny

    Chanel No. 0x05

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  4. Re:Can't believe this made it past the editors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    So you're saying that it doesn't pass the smell test?

  5. Re:Cheap Perfume by Razgorov+Prikazka · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why? Because someone scent you an email?

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