Releasing scents during the projection of a film reportedly predates the introduction of sound. One early attempt at "Smell-O-Vision" involved a wad of cotton soaked in rose oil being placed in front of an electric fan during a newsreel in 1906, but despite such experiments, this is one technology that just hasn't taken off ... although the quest to add an extra olfactory experience to movies and, more recently, video games continues. This latest effort comes from French company Olf-Action which has created SMELLIT - a device designed to bring an aromatic dimension to your video game and movie experiences.
Looking like a collection of mini jet turbines mounted on a pole, the SMELLIT isn't ready to hit stores just yet, but will be appearing at the 2011 Lisbon Design Show in Portugal this month. Increasing the chances that the SMELLIT will actually garner a release is the fact that Olf-Action already produces a system for cinemas and home use called Odoravision that synchronizes the diffusion of odors with onscreen action.
If it does actually go into production, we'd expect the SMELLIT to use the same kind of cartridge system employed with the Odoravision system, with Olf-Action offering a wide variety of different cartridges for that system on its website. These include "Smell of Fir," "Smell of Cakes" and "Smell of naked body," and the less appetizing "Smell of polluted cities," "bad smells" and "Bathroom Odor."
To check out the SMELLIT, just follow your nose to the 2011 Lisbon Design Show, which runs from October 11 to 16.
