If you were excited by the upcoming release of 250 new emojis, this piece of smartphone news is going to make you feel like you just scored tickets to Queen Bey’s “On the Run” tour. Soon, you’ll be able to text smells. Yes, smells.
David Edwards, a Harvard engineering professor, has invented a gadget called the oPhone that can send and receive scents. Using an “aromatic vocabulary” of 32 basic fragrances in the complementary “oSnap” app, you can create up to 30,000 unique smells.
“Think of it as a kind of telephone for aromas,” the creators explain on their IndieGoGo site.Â
On June 17, Edwards sent the first transatlantic smell text. According the Huffington Post, it was the smell of New York. Not what we would have chosen (what about fresh flowers or designer perfume?), but super cool nonetheless!
“Scent is the world’s natural tweet, because it takes just a few seconds to get a scent,” he told Fast Company. “The notion of people saying, “I miss you in New York,” by sending a scent is really interesting and powerful. Or imagine taking a scent selfie and posting it on Facebook.”Â
To get in on the virtual fragrance game, you’ll need the app oSnap, which is now available on iTunes. And, obviously, you’ll need an oPhone. They’re coming out next fall at $199 for a pair, but we have good news for you early-adapters: if you finance the oPhone IndieGoGo campaign, you can get the duo for a “mere” $149.
Check out the onotes website for more details! Would you use it? Tell us in the comments!