Moving beyond the monopoly of sight and touch in the computer world, a Japanese company is offering a service to download aromatic scents at a click of a button.
A customer who wants to be surrounded by a new fragrance has a choice of six scented oils ready to mix in a blender, which is hooked up to the computer like a mouse.
Workers who look to burn the midnight oil can pay to smell a “scent for working another 12 hours” and those with time ahead of them on the screen can choose a “scent to be an IT winner”.
“There are already services you can read and hear such as e-mail, blogs, the internet, music and ringtones, along with virtual services such as downloading pictures,” said Shunichi Hamada, deputy manager of NTT Communications’ sales-promotion department.
“But we decided to go beyond those services. This is one that brings out emotions,” he said.
NTT Communications said it will soon also offer a service called “Spiritual Harmony”, which can analyse a person’s ability to communicate or adapt to outside changes by taking the pulse from his or her fingers. — AFP