Scented Messages: oPhone for iPhone Is A Dream Come True

oPhone wants us to use our sense of smell when messaging

Our sense of smell is often the most forgotten of the fantastic five. We take it for granted, and don't value it nearly as much as we should. After all, taste would be nothing without smell. Thankfully, it looks as though all of that is about to change, as fast-moving technology proves not to be limited to sight and sound alone.

This is where Kibo Studios comes in. They are developing the oPhone project, the aim being to make devices that send and release smells: something that's sure to shake up the way we communicate. I mean, how have we survived not being able to send smells to friends and family up until now?

Kibo Studios' new invention features cartridges loaded with basic scents. These scents can be mixed together, much like regular ink cartridges, and released just as the sender had hoped. And no, we're not just talking about a few basic smells like rose, honeysuckle, vanilla, citrus and eucalyptus here. The oPhone creators claim it'll be able to send up to 300,000 different smells. Can you imagine using WhatsApp with your "smellies" attached to really transmit your daily trials and tribulations?

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For now, this dream will only be made reality for iPhone and iPad users.

It's not just the messaging services who will benefit from the project. Kibo plans to break into the entertainment world too, namely movie theaters. Because we're all dying to know: what does Arnold Schwarzenegger really smell like?

Source: oPhone, the project that will allow us to send messages with smells (in Spanish)

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Fancy giving this gadget a go? What smells would you like to send or receive? Should we use smells as tokens of affections? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section.

Translated by Joe Martin