A video chat may not be enough for you to get a feel of the person and surrounding on the other end of the screen. The major factors that contribute towards a personal interaction are the odors of the people and also the surrounding odors. A recent experiment conducted in Malaysia suggests that it might be possible for technology to develop an electrical smell.
The research is purely in the preliminary phase and it’s still far from being implemented for the masses. If electric smell becomes a reality it would introduce a new component in long-distance conversation. Adrian Cheok a scientist behind the experiment said that “It’s just not about the smell. We can integrate a total virtual reality or augmented reality for the person. You can virtually have dinner or taste a glass of wine with anyone.”
In real life, odors are transmitted when airborne molecules waft into the nose. The specialized nerve cells fire impulses to the brain, in turn, helping us to determine smell. The experiment was performed on 31 subjects at Imagineering Institute in Malaysia City. The researchers inserted electrodes in the nostrils to deliver a weak electrical signal above and behind the nostrils. The researcher created 10 different virtual odors that include mint, wood, and fruit.
Though using electrodes inside the nose might seem a vague concept scientist believe that using an electronic nose currently used in food processing plant can act a sensory point.
