So you had read Megan’s post about sniffing out a desktop screen. Poor woman! HAHA! She was fooled by Google. Apparently on the event of 1st April 2013 which was obviously April Fools’ Day, Google pulled a prank by launching a new database which was called Google Nose. It was claimed that Google Nose lets you type in keywords for smells like “lemon” or “new car.” It’s being billed as an “Internet sommelier” with an “Aromabase” of over 15 million “scentibytes.” – Hornyak, 2013.
Here is the promo video by Google
Yet Megan did not know about the truth behind this “scent techonology”…
Behold the Smell-O-Vision! – A new olfactory display system that can generate an odor distribution on a two-dimensional display screen.
Credit: Haruka Matsukura
Researchers Haruka Matsukura, Tatsuhiro Yoneda, and Hiroshi Ishida of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology had proposed a model to generate air flow from four corners of the screen that direct scent to the user. The scent was created by gel pellets that vaporize at the fan. However the model could only deliver one scent at a time (Halverson, 2013).
As an educator, I would really like to try this technology in the classroom. No longer the need to ask children imagine scent like warm fudgy brownie. Children could read, listen and smells at the same time from the computer. Speaking of engaging activities!
Reference:
Halverson, N (2013). Smell-O-Vision Lets You Watch and Sniff. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/smell-o-vision-watch-sniff-130401.htm
Hornyak, T, (2013). Something April fishy in Google Nose odor search engine. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57577210-1/something-april-fishy-in-google-nose-odor-search-engine/
Teacher Jo 