PCK Engineering Wonders

A Sense of Smell From Your TV

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego in collaboration with Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in Korea have shown research that demonstrates that it is possible to generate odour at will. They want to develop a compact device that is small enough to fit at the back of your TV that has the potential to release thousands of odours.

The scent would come from an aqueous solution, such as ammonia, which forms an odorous gas when it is heated. When the heat odour pressure build, a tiny compressed hole in the elastomer is opened that releases the odour.

The question is will audiences and advertisers latch onto such an idea, but first it is a simple question of whether it is possible.