Frontier Science: ScentScape system adds an olfactory dimension to your computer and home video

My opinion on this one is I foresee tragedy. I recently bought a very high quality brand of electric plug in room air freshener in an expensive scent and I swear it made my whole house smell like mold. I could have made an insurance claim on mold poisoning it was so bad! So, I'm not sure I want to smell digitized scents. The retailers are really evasive about exactly how this works scientifically so I am skeptical.

ScentScape system adds an olfactory dimension to gaming and home videos Retailers, hotels and real estate agents have been using aromas to entice us to part with our cash for years now and there have even been a few attempts to transmit smells via the internet and mobile phones. California-based company Scent Sciences is now looking to bring an olfactory dimension to computer games with its ScentScape personal digital scent delivery system.

Scent Sciences’ President and CEO, Bill Wiles, told Gizmag the ScentScape system uses a combination of hardware, software & algorithms and chemistry – all covered by patents – to produce the smells. The system consists of a unit that plugs into a PC or gaming console via USB and generates smells using scent cartridges. Similarly, the ScentScape system and ScentScape Editor can be used to add smells to home videos. Specific themed cartridges such as holiday, summer, ocean, etc. will also be available for this purpose, along with special cartridges for aromatherapy and other applications.or, you could jut go for a walk in the woods!

ScentScape® is an innovative digital scent delivery system which provides the extra dimension of scent to gaming, entertainment and other consumer markets. Scent Sciences' technologies enriches the user experience by layering scents to enhance immersion and presence with unique delivery hardware, software and services. Simply connect the Plug-N-Play unit to any compatible PC or gaming console for an instant experience of sight, sound and smell. 

ScentEditor® "Scent Enable Your Home Videos" Enhance the viewing experience of your home movies by adding the scents you experienced during the filming such as birthday cake, flowers, fresh mowed grass, ocean, or roasting turkey. The ScentEditor® along with the ScentScape® digital scent delivery system is an easy to use application which provides the tools to add scent during the editing process. Imagine smelling the Christmas Tree when viewing your family's Christmas morning videos several years from now!

Coming soon: Scent enabling applications for gaming, YouTube, Facebook and other popular applications.

I know, let's get Mikey, he'll try anything! Hey Mikey, he likes it! he likes it! Mikey, wake up, Mikey?

Frontier Science-- SmelloPhone

The Smellophone In terms of the human senses, (sight, sound, touch, smell and taste) we’ve already been able to synthesize pretty realistic visual, audio, and touch digitally, and we’ve previously written about research work in the taste area. Now a German syndicate has filed a patent for applications allowing users to send scents via cell phones, and expects the new capability will reach market less than two years from now with about 100 different prefabricated scents on the required chip. Not surprisingly, there are many applications for this technology, ranging from sweet smelling MMS greetings, to branded advertising samples for perfume manufacturers, to scent enhanced games for mobile phones and computers providing an additional sensory element for an outstanding gaming experience.

Dan Janzen on a future DNA reader on Vimeo

Dan Janzen on a future DNA reader on Vimeo


Dan Janzen on a future DNA reader from Sam on Vimeo.

Dan Janzen imagines a handheld DNA reader in the near future which when inputted with any part of an animal (leg, scat, saliva) could tell you the species from whence it came.

For instance, dip it in a river and see what kinds of frogs and fish live upstream. Or give it a feather and see what bird has been flying by. Or lick it and see if you're coughing on account of the common cold or Ebola.

International Barcode of Life: creating a searchable index of every species o... - google, techtalks, techtalk, engedu, talk, talks, googletechtalks, education - sciencestage.com Biology

International Barcode of life: DNA Handheld Decoder

Barcode of Life Initiative

Barcode of Life Initiative

What is DNA Barcoding?

In 2003, Dr. Paul Hebert at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, proposed “DNA barcoding” as a way to identify species. Barcoding uses a very short genetic sequence from a standard part of the genome the way a supermarket scanner distinguishes products using the black stripes of the Universal Product Code. Two items may look very similar to the untrained eye, but in both cases the barcodes are distinct.

Until now, biological specimens were identified using morphological features. In some cases a trained technician could make routine identifications using morphological “keys”, but in most cases an experienced professional taxonomist is needed. If a specimen is damaged or is in an immature stage of development, even specialists may be unable to make identifications. Barcoding solves these problems, because non-specialists can obtain barcodes from tiny amounts of tissue. This is not to say that traditional taxonomy has become less important, but rather that DNA barcoding can serve a dual purpose as a new tool in the taxonomists toolbox supplementing his/ her knowledge as well as being an innovative device for non-experts who need to make a quick identification.

The gene region that is being used as the standard barcode for almost all animal groups is a 648 base-pair region in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene (“CO1”). COI is proving highly effective in identifying birds, butterflies, fish, flies and many other animal groups. COI is not an effective barcode region in plants because it evolves too slowly, but botanists are now close to identifying a combination of gene regions that will serve as a barcode region for plants.

Conservation Ecology: Electronic field guides and user communities in the eco-informatics revolution

Conservation Ecology: Electronic field guides and user communities in the eco-informatics revolution

Democratizing Taxonomy

http://www.conservationmagazine.org/articles/v7n2/democratizing-taxonomy/