Engineers in Tokyo are developing a device that can record smells and play them back at a later time. The device will, no doubt, revolutionise nose technology.

The system will use 15 smell-sensing microchips capable of detecting and recreating a wide variety of aromas. To use the electric nose, one will need to point the gadget at the source of a scent. The electric nose then pulls from 96 chemicals and mixes a digital recipe mimicking the aroma by heating and vaporising vials. The prototype noses can already record and replay the scents of orange, lemon, apple and melon.

What a wonderful gadget! Imagine being able to record the smell of grandmother’s fresh baked cookies, or an aunt’s rose garden and play it again long after they are gone. One could keep the smell of an ocean holiday to replay during drab winter months, even.

This invention could also have a major impact on the way people use the internet. Whilst doing a bit of online shopping, one could smell a perfume before purchasing a bottle, or pre-smell meals from a restaurant’s online menu before deciding to dine there.

The government could effectively employ this technology, too. If rubbish is becoming a problem in one’s area, a constituent could simply record the smell and e-mail it to local representatives to raise awareness of the stinky issue. Also, parties could adopt signature smells which would release when one visits their web sites. Labour could, of course, be a rose. The Green Party. . . pine, perhaps? The Conservatives. . . maybe a box of old books?

The opportunities for the electric nose are endless!