Virtual Smells Back Yet Again... And The Idea Still Stinks
from the please,-stop-the-stench dept
The idea of sending smells over the internet has been around for quite some time. In fact, one early web design shop created a "spoof" site for "RealAroma" as a play off of RealNetworks original product RealAudio. However, over the years we keep seeing real companies jump on the iSmell bandwagon. Digiscents got a ton of press coverage during the dot com bubble only to flop. In 2004, we heard of a company trying to resurect the idea, followed by a different company trying the same thing in 2005. If you haven't heard much about these lately, it might be because the idea stinks (literally and figuratively). They're all based on the same basic concept. You have to have a special device that has various "scents" that can be released via digital alerts to provide that right overall aroma.
It appears that the idea is now being revived once again, this time in Japan. NTT, the huge telco in Japan, is trying to offer a similar technology, though it's being marketed slightly differently. Rather than just adding smells to your daily internet surfing experience, the idea is that you can email or text message the scent machine from afar to set off a nice smell in your home, such that when you arrive, everything smells pretty. If you're already in the house, you can control the device via an infrared connection on your phone. Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't the "smell while your surf" option as well. The article describes how you could send someone virtual roses while also setting their smell-o-nator to offer up a rose scent. I would suggest, by the way, that you never do anything to piss off whoever has access to your smell generator. That might get downright putrid.
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by Matt Bennett on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 12:56pm
Well, if anywhere is a good place to try this out, it'd be Japan, home of the USB noodle-warmer.
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Hackers Dream by Killer_Tofu on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:04pm
for (i = 0; i < Num_Scents; i++)
{
while (Scents[i].Empty == False)
{ Spray_Scent(); }
}
hehehe
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Noooo my code by Killer_Tofu on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:05pm
forgot an "i" in the Spray_Scent().
"Spray_Scent(i);"
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Ummm by wrong again on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:10pm
and you would want to use
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by yo ho ho.... on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:20pm
{sniff} {sniff}
... I think I smell another bubble coming....
time for the Venture Capitalists to jump back on board!
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Re: by Joel Coehoorn on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:20pm
Agreed. I think it sounds like a bad idea here in the US, but I could see the Japanese going for it, even if it's still a bit of long shot.
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Re: Noooo my code by Joel Coehoorn on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:22pm
Since you've already established that a Scent is an object with properties like "Empty", shouldn't it be Scents[i].Spray(); anyway?
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Re: Re: Noooo my code by Joel again on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:24pm
for (i=0; i
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Re: Re: Noooo my code by one more try, so the html formatter doesn't break on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:25pm
for (int i=0; i
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I can see it now by Chronno S. Trigger on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:30pm
Person 1: (snif)(snif) Dude, what the *%#@ is that smell
Person 2: Sorry, My computer got a virus
How many scents would this have. I'm guessing it would have vanilla and apple and the standard ones like that but would it have like tobacco smoke or... other things. Could have some fun with that.
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Maybe Joel by Killer_Tofu on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:33pm
Depends on how I program the code.
It could be either
Scents[i].Spray()
OR
Spray_Scent(i)
Both work depending on how you program. =)
And for the Less Than sign you have to use the HTML code
ampersand-L-T-semicolon.
Otherwise it thinks you are entering an html tag =(
Took me about 5 tries before I got my first post correct too.
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by lulz on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 1:53pm
if(nerd){printf("You are a nerd");}
a.out
You are a nerd
:)
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by Jake on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 2:12pm
It's a useless gimmick for very rich idiots to impress other very rich idiots with, which means it'll be a license to print money if they get it to work.
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by Anonymous Coward on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 2:44pm
it would be cool in games/videos (as long as nothing in them smells bad)
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Re: Hackers Dream by James on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 2:57pm
Let me help you...
Scent scentObj = new Scent();
scentObj.Aroma = AromaLibrary.NonScents.Poop;
while ( scentObj.NumberofRemainingSprays >0 )
{
scentObj.Activate();
}
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by Lucretious on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 3:35pm
Brings back memories of this ....thing:
http://www.onzin.nl/fufme/index.shtml.htm
I could never figure out if it was a spoof or the real deal.
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by Bart on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 6:14pm
Smell ya later
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by CAPNBRAD on Apr 9th, 2008 @ 6:48pm
someone would eventually get the bright idea to use it in porn,
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Re: by Nasch on Apr 10th, 2008 @ 9:24am
Gotta be a spoof. For one, the images are all CG, no photos. Second, "remote sex solution for the Internet and corporate intranet." Remote sex solution for the corporate intranet?? No way. It does sound like something someone should make though. A whole new level of phone sex. :-)
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