A new robot that plugs into your computer creates smells for different types of Web updates. This is actually happening.
Good news, everyone! One of Professor Farnsworth’s inventions from Futurama is making its way into the real world. On the show, the Smell-O-Scope allows users to detect odors across the vast emptiness of space. Out here in the real world, a new “Web connected smelly robot” can be hooked up to your computer and will release scents as alerts for internet alerts.
The robot – “Olly” – is currently being worked on by Mint Digital. The device is still in the development process and has yet to have a price point announced, but here’s the gist of how it’ll work:
Olly has a removable section in the back which you can fill with any smell you like. It could be essential oils, a slice of fruit, your partner’s perfume or even a drop of gin. […] Olly is stackable, so if you have more than one, you can assign each one to a different service with a different smell. Connect one to Twitter and another to your calendar. Before you know it, you’ll have a networked internet smell centre.
The official website has all sorts of useful and interesting facts about the device, except for an explanation about how it would actually be considered useful or interesting. I mean, I like the scent of fresh-baked cookies and vanilla, but there’s no way I’d want to constantly smell them whenever I receive a new email or a friend updates their Facebook status.
While the folks over at Mint Digital point out that you can stack multiple Olly units together, I don’t think anyone’s remembering the lesson that Smell-O-Vision taught us so many years ago: Multiple scents released will often mix together and can be kind of nauseating when they’re combined, especially when scents are coming from a source that can rot pretty quickly.
Also, before one of you wise-asses thinks this would be funny to ask in the forums: Nobody (and I mean nobody) wants to know what “Two Girls, One Cup” should smell like.
Published: Nov 7, 2011 10:20 pm