Monday, October 9, 2000		Article

Get ready for e-fragrance

France is famous for its perfumes. Chanel, Givenchy and Guerlain are names that come to mind. And now, the country’s biggest telecom group is planning to deliver aromas over the Internet.

France Telecom is looking at taking the idea of e-scents well beyond fragrances of the cosmetic kind, however. It is hoping to deliver not just sight and sound over the Internet, but also smell. The aromas of summer could accompany images of gardens, for instance, or a whiff of burning rubber could be used to add to the ambience of Formula One video games.

Travel agents could offer the scents of favourite holiday destinations to go with the online pictures — though whether that would always be an advantage must be a moot point.

France Telecom and its partners, Munich-based Internet equipment maker Ruetz Technologies, and Isipca — an institute that trains specialists in perfume, cosmetics and food aromatics — are looking at two operational prototypes.

The first is a computer bolt on — a series of impregnated solid polymer disc with a fan to propel up to a dozen fragrances into the atmosphere.

The second is a much smaller device, designed to be worn round the neck of the user, which can handle about 30 fragrances and is used in conjunction with interactive television. France Telecom hopes that it will be able to develop a second generation capable of generating up to 200 fragrances from a device the size of a mobile phone. Special command software would trigger the aromas.

One technical challenge is the length of time the smell will linger. Text and images can change instantaneously and the aromas would have to match their pace.

Though the devices are only at the prototype stage, France Telecom hopes to have a number of versions on the market next year which are expected to retail for about Euro 100.

But having added smell to sight and sound, what are the prospects of the other two senses — taste and touch — also becoming part of the Internet experience?

According to Henry Thomas at France Telecoms’ research arm, his colleagues are already working on touch.

As to taste: "We have thought about that, we are looking at it," he said. "It is clearly an objective."

— By arrangement with The Guardian