Despite numerous attempts throughout the years, smell-o-vision has failed to take off on the big or small screens. Japanese company Chaku Perfume Co. Ltd. is hoping to have better luck on the even smaller screen with its Chat Perf attachment for iPhone that allows messages or email notifications to be accompanied by a signature smell.
The device connects to an iPhone and packs an atomizer to disperse scents from the swappable scent tanks contained within. As such, the recipient will need the appropriate scent tank installed to receive the desired whiff.
As well as sending a scent along with a text message or emitting a particular smell when an email lands in your inbox, the makers tell DigInfo the Chat Perf attachment could also be used with games – releasing the smell on gunpowder when firing a weapon, for example. The company has an SDK available to developers so they can create apps that make use of the device.
The device that appears in the DigInfo video below is still in prototype form and connects via the iPhone’s dock connector. However, the company says the device that will be released this September will connect to the phone’s headphone jack, which should also extend compatibility to include Android devices.
According to RocketNews24, Chat Perf will cost 4,980 yen (approx. US$50), but there’s no word on the price for the scent tanks.
Sources: Chat Perf, DigInfo, RocketNews24