Oxfordshire start-up to introduce radical new Smell-D™ technology at NAB

London, 1 April 2010 – With 3DTV in the home rapidly becoming a reality, a new Oxfordshire-based start-up, InHalE, is planning to revolutionise home entertainment by introducing radical new Smell-D™ technology at this month’s NAB 2010 show in Las Vegas. What’s more, the technology, that promises to add a whole new dimension to the home viewing experience, will be available to viewers via a simple firmware upgrade to most set-top boxes (STBs) and gaming consoles.

“In much the same way that the current developers in the broadcast and film spaces have rehabilitated 3D, so we are presenting a very 21st Century solution to the age-old problem of coordinating olfactory stimulation with entertainment,” says InHalE MD, Tristan LeNez.

LeNez is not the only one excited by the prospect, and the company hopes to announce several deals with major Hollywood Studios and international broadcasters at the show. “3D is great, of course, but to really immerse the viewer you have to make them believe they’re in the actual location, and scientific research has proved that the olfactory sense is the most powerful way of doing that.”

The technology works by passing discrete voltage increases via different parts of the STB or console’s electronics. “This is completely safe and doesn’t harm the electronics one bit,” explains LeNez. “What our researchers found was that by increasing the current minutely that flows through different parts of the unit’s printed circuit board (PCB), we could generate different olfactory experiences. A rheostat with a 0.5V increase emits a different odour, for example, to a flux capacitor with a 0.1V increase. The odours are very basic initially, but by playing ‘olfactory chords’ and triggering several at once, we’ve found that we can recreate many well-known smells, from cut grass, through to strawberries and out to a very convincing smell of burning.”

Visitors to the company’s booth at NAB will be able to experience the technology directly in sync with a specially shot new video for the classic Talking Heads’ song ‘Burning Down the House’, as well as receive a free ‘I InHalEd’ t-shirt.