Smellophone

Back when I used to sit with my parents and watch Emeril Lagasse work his cooking magic on Food Network before I went to bed, he'd occasionally bring up the idea of "smellovision" in his show. Alongside "BAM" and other isms, "smellovision" was one of his iconic words, referring to his dream to share the wonderful smells of his TV kitchen with viewers at home. While smellovision would be great for cooking shows, it would pose problematic for, say, Dirty Jobs, plus it's a bit far-fetched to be able to transmit specific smells through cable, satellite, or the air.

Enter the oPhone. Instead of smellovision, this olfactory communication device enables users to send smells to each other. The oChip inside the phone contains the information for hundreds (and eventually thousands) of different smells that you can send to yourself or another oPhone user. These smells can also be combined to create more complex messages, and the plan is to package two oPhones together so users can receive more than one smell at the same time.

The developers admit to their new technology being a little clunky, but the value in being able to send smelly texts is the connection between smell and memory. Smells can conjure up emotions, like the happiness of a freshly-baked cookie or the horror of finding old food in the fridge, and people can relate to each other based on these memories or thoughts. The company is also working to create a universal oChip, into which you can program whatever smell you want. I have a feeling that this feature would end up being used more for pranks than for productive uses, but a whimsical idea like a smellophone has to come with some fun.