Smelly signals

Schemes for making smells to augment cinema, TV or computer images usually
involve capsules of chemicals which generate specific odours. But Aromix
Technologies and Yeda Research and Development of Israel are patenting a
different approach (WO 00/15268/9). A gas chromatograph analyses the smell which
is to be reproduced, and breaks it down into a series of peaks representing the
chemical constituents. The peaks are digitally coded and transmitted by radio,
film or CD to a replay device with an “odorant palette” of containers, each
holding a different chemical. Heaters in the containers release various pongs,
which mix to reconstruct…