One of the missing pieces of the puzzle for VR is smell, but at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Japanese startup Aromajoin showed off a wearable device that’s up to the task. Simply called the Aroma Shooter Wearable, the neckband comes with six replaceable scent cartridges and is controlled from a mobile device or PC via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or USB.The product is still in its early stages, and the Kyoto-based company is targeting developers and enterprise customers who can choose from a library "hundreds" Fragrances—even custom fragrances from perfume houses—to suit their needs.
In Aromajoin’s demo, the video player app was programmed to cycle through the six scents – lavender, blueberry, shampoo, caramel, smoke and fresh grass – to match the six scenes in the short film. Even though I was watching a regular video on an iPad, the scent really enhanced the immersion, and I can imagine this would have an even bigger impact when combined with VR.
Aromajoin only has a demo on hand for CES purposes, but the app does show how any video clip can be programmed to trigger a specific pod — and yes, you can have it in any situation — at a specific time Various scents. You can also adjust the intensity of each scent, which is helpful since I initially found the grassy scent to be a bit too strong. As for the neck strap itself, it weighs about 300 grams, but thanks to its ergonomic shape surrounding my collarbone area, I didn’t feel too much of a burden.
Aromajoin plans to launch the Aroma Shooter wearable device through crowdfunding in May this year and is expected to ship by the end of this year. The target price for the device is around $350, with each scent cartridge likely to cost around $30. Each cartridge can last about 3,000 shots or up to three months, but this depends on the strength and nature of each mixture.
Aromajoin is also applying the same video demo to a larger device called the Aroma Speaker 60, which is aimed at retailers, movie theaters and VR arcades. As the model name suggests, the pair of towers can be equipped with up to 60 scents, with each of the 10 magazines holding six scents, supporting a wider range of scenarios or use cases. The Aroma Speaker 60 will also be launched through crowdfunding, but is expected to cost significantly more than a neckband speaker.
We will provide live coverage of CES 2024, which will be held in Las Vegas from January 6th to 12th.Get all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/the-aroma-shooter-wearable-blasts-scents-while-you-watch-videos-180006793.html?src=rss
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