NTT Communications has announced a pilot test of its new Mobile
Fragrance Communication service. Apparently this lets people download a “Fragrance Playlist” of recipes for specific smells, and then transfers the fragrance data to a dedicated device similar to a plug-in air freshener that is loaded with a cartridge of base fragrances.
I know it’s tempting fate to call this the worst new mobile idea ever – it’s like calling a movie released in January the worst of the year; you just know something even nastier will come out and prove you wrong – but if someone’s going to come out with something worse than this, I really don’t want to know about it.
If this takes off, I may as well go turn myself in to the nearest police station, because the first time someone sits near to me in a restaurant, plane or theater and starts broadcasting their favorite smell, I’m going to get violent.
No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke, I checked.
If we had the sense of smell of say, a cat, I could see this working… but not for humans.
I think there have been a lot of attemtps to make some sort of ‘context-sensitive smell generator’ and none of them have actually lasted. Even Febreeze has some kind of ‘scentstories’ thing that I guess ‘plays back’ different smells to set a mood. Always seemed like a waste of 30 dollars when I could just buy some Citrus Whatever and spray it when the room smells funny…
People consciously view scent as an add-on to life. It’s only when it stops working that they realize how important it is. (One of my friends had some nerve damage in his nose and can barely smell anything.)