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The competition for dominance in the smart TV world is so hot, you can smell it. Never mind 3DTV, you will soon be able to add a fourth dimension to your smart TV with Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology in Korea wrapping up a two year experiment with students at the University of California in San Diego to add a sense of smell.In a recently published paper, the researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to generate odours in a compact device that is small enough to fit at the back of the television, so that smells could accompany the pictures delivered onscreen.
“For example, if people are eating pizza, the viewer smells pizza coming from a TV,” said Sungho Jin, professor in the departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and NanoEngineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
“And if a beautiful lady walks by, they smell perfume. Instantaneously generated fragrances or odours would match the scene shown on a TV or cell phone, and that’s the idea.”
The researchers have minimised the circuitry required to produce smells, and developed a compact device using an aqueous solution such as ammonia, to provide the scents. The solution is kept in a compartment made of non-toxic, non-flammable silicone elastomer, which releases odours through a small hole when heat and odour pressure build up.
Researchers are also planning to use the technology in smartphones.
“This is likely to be the next generation TV or cell phone that produces odours to match the images you see on the screen.” said Jin.
The multi-odour concept was initiated by Samsung’s research and development group, headed by Jongmin Kim at SAIT. They came to UCSD with a request for a practical means of accomplishing such a vision.
The possible scenarios are endless, according to UCSD, with films being able to exploit scenes to their max by introducing aromas that match what is going on visually.
The next step in the research process is to develop a prototype that is reliable enough to release odours on cue, and can be scaled down to match consumer electronics like TVs and smartphones.
Advertisers may also take advantage of the technology, but the odour generating device would have to be able to deliver realistic smells that match their products.
