Ohio State's AI E-Nose Sends Smells to a Wearable Scentronic Receiver
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a system that detects an odor with an AI-powered electronic nose and transmits the scent data to a receiver called Scentronic, which recreates the smell, according to a study released Wednesday and reported by CNET. The team built wristband, handheld and necklace versions of Scentronic, each with a five-channel scent distributor using a piezoelectric atomizer and powered by Wi-Fi and a cloud server that stores and transfers the scent data. In a test with 16 participants, the system transmitted five scents — cake, beer, red wine, coffee and oranges — and the testers accurately identified all of them; lead author Chunyu Yang said the gas-sensor array combined with machine learning allows a compact sensing system that can be integrated with wearables.
The report presents a small, non-independent demonstration, but it shows an AI e-nose paired with a wearable scent-reproducing receiver, which CNET notes differs from existing devices that can only dispense predefined smells.
深夜刷到一段美食视频，高清画面和立体声满足了视听体验，但总觉得少了点什么。智能手机发展了二十多年，屏幕、扬声器和振动马达分别接管了视觉、听觉和触觉，但时至今日，我们依然无法拥有一台能“闻”到味的手机。
如果手机能释放气味，清晨叫醒你的除了闹钟，还可以是一缕现磨咖啡或烤面包的香气。最近，这种美妙的设想距离实现又近了一小步。10 月下旬，俄亥俄州立大学（The Ohio State University）与之江实验室的研究人员在《科学进展》（Science Advances）发表论文，展示了一套名为 Scentronic（意为“电子气味”）的 AI 辅助嗅觉接口。
系统一端用电子鼻识别气味，另一端的可穿戴设备就能在千里之外喷出对应的香气。借助 AI，研究人员将气味识别、网络传输和可穿戴释放连通为一条完整的自动链路。