Smell-O-Vision
Every now and then, a movie or TV show that takes place in the future shows some TV set that also sends out smells, wowing audiences and leaving us viewers antsy for that day in the future to come soon. Well, I guess you could say that the future is now: NTT Communications is demoing a new smell-emitting electronic display (they are calling it a billboard, but it looks to be a TV to me) that gives off a variety of scents, depending on the programming of the system. Even better, new smells and programming can be downloaded from the internet.
Notice how the device is being used not to entertain us, but to sell us products. At first, I was kind of put off by this, but then I realized that appealing to our sense of smell accesses a much more primeval part of our brains, and it is much tougher to control our reaction. While you may not end up eating the food that you smell, its pretty much impossible to stop yourself from getting hungry and/or salivating. It would be nice if they used this manipulation of our lower consciousness for better uses, such as sending out a smoke aroma whenever a fire alarm goes off. What other uses could there be for smell-based signaling?
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/10/ntt-to-test-digital-aromatic-signs / via gizmodo
December 10th, 2007 at 11:20 am
How about an alarm clock? The aroma of fresh brewed coffee gradually released before your alarm goes off….. then the smell of the ocean (along with audio of crashing waves) as you fall asleep.
Aside from just smelling nice, the scents may establish a Pavlovian stimulus-response relationship that literally makes waking up/falling asleep easier.
I’d buy one.