Now, a TV that emits aroma

Japanese scientists have developed a ‘Smell-O-Vision’ TV which they say could emit the exact smell of the picture on display.

The TV, according to the scientists, will release a candy floss smell when the image shows a fairground and can even emit the briny scent of the seaside when people look at their holiday photos.

The technology used in the television makes printers to spray small amounts of scent rather than ink, The Telegraph reported.

“We are using the ink-jet printer’s ability to eject tiny pulses of material to achieve precise control,” said lead researcher Dr Kenichi Okada of Keio University, Tokyo.Ink-jet printers work when a pulse of current heats up a coil of wire and creates a bubble that forces a small amount of ink down a tube onto the page at high speed.

The Japanese team adapted a Canon printer to squirt four “ingredient” scents and managed to get hints of mint, grapefruit, cinnamon, lavender, apple and vanilla, for a fraction of a second.

Previous attempts
Something similar was developed in the US in the ’60s, with scents released from sachets hidden in the seats to make cinema audiences more engaged with the entertainment.
However, the smells took too long to clear the auditorium and they were scrapped.
Previous attempts to add smell to films has included numerous additions of perfume, such as putting scent-soaked cotton wool by a fan blowing over viewers to squirting it from a balcony.