This spring, Japanese telecom company NTT Communications will launch a pilot test of a combined audio/visual/olfactive offering called Mobile Fragrance Communication. The technology allows phones to download and share fragrance playlists that include scent instructions for a dedicated device containing an essence cartridge, in addition to audio and video content that will play in conjunction with the scent emission on a mobile device. Specific fragrances are tagged to specific content, such as a rose bouquet graphic paired with music, a rose fragrance and a note to a loved one. In addition, users will be able to remotely command the fragrance emission device to begin operation prior to arriving home. The experiment was conducted and evaluated by 20 male and female participants. NTT says concepts for the nascent technology include ringtones, music or horoscopes combined with scents, in addition to other home, automotive, consumer electronic and videogame applications.
Mobile Fragrance
Nov 11th, 2008