The+Future+Of+Video+Chatting

==== **Video chatting is a fairly new study, but it has a lot of potential. Who knows where it could go from here? One of the possibilities is, maybe one day, we would be able to smell through a video chat. In this page, this topic is further discussed. A prototype* has also been built to show you how it could or would work.** ====

** Can we Smell via Internet? ** = = ** How do we smell? **

Smell, which is another one of our five senses, is sensed through the nose. When we smell, molecules from the object we're smelling make it to our nose. This means, everything we smell contains and gives off molecules. It maybe something fragrant like perfume, or maybe something smelly like onions. This also means that something with no smell doesn't give off molecules. As we smell, various parts of our nose go to work in recognizing the smell. At first, the air traveling into the nose is greeted by hair at the beginning of the nose to filter out all the dust. After passing through the hair, the air travels to the olfactory bulb. There the smells are recognized. Then, the cells send signals along your olfactory nerve to the brain. The brain interprets the smell and tells us. Humans can detect over 10,000 different smells, but as we get older our sense of smell worsens.

Why would smelling via internet be useful?
Try imagining a world without smell. Imagine never smelling your favorite scent; homemade cookies, roses, or vanilla. Smell has many functions. It adds to the taste of our food. I mean, you can almost always tell if something is sweet or sour by it's smell. It's hard to think how much smells adds to our experiences in day-to-day life. Can you imagine smelling a fire when you see one on a screen. Or, can you imagine smelling water when it rains on a screen. This invention would add a lot of realistic feel to situations. Wouldn't it be great if we could share that smell with important people in our lives? Although it isn't invented yet, I know a device that can recognize and transport smell will soon be invented.



iSmell
The iSmell is a digital scent device which is being developed by DigiScents, Inc. This application is much like I thought it would be. A device is attached to the computer's USB port. In the device, many smells are recorded in the program based on their chemical structure and their place on the scent spectrum. Then, each individual smell is coded and digitalized. So, when requested, the smell can be accessed by the push of a button. The smell can be sent to someone or used for one's personal leisure. Once clicked on, a small amount of the aroma will be emitted by the device attatched to the computer. Just like tone cartirage in a printer, the smells in the device will need to be replaced for as much accuracy as possible. Soon, we'll probably be able to smell via internet. Not only this, DigiScents, Inc. is also working printing out flavors which can be tasted. Fascinating, right?

= Building a Prototype =

In the prototype above, a simple transmitter sends a message(the smell) to a receiver. The transmitter and receiver are both connected to the computer which makes it able to get and show the information on the screen. Really, it's not all that complicated. At least, the concept isn't. But, I do agree that it is hard to execute. Hats off to DigiScents, Inc. for trying to build such an advanced device.


 * Note: The definitions to these words can be found in the Video Chatting Dictionary.

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