DOS Annual Meeting
“The idea is to create devices which not only can capture odors, but also turn them into digital data as well as transmit them everywhere in the world and restitute the original odor.”
Dr Marvin Edeas, founder of Digital Olfaction Society, 2010.
The project on Digital Olfaction Society (DOS) and olfactory digitization was initiated by Dr Marvin Edeas in March 2010 in order to highlight and exploit a world unknown so far. This innovative topic punctuates the Conference Olfaction & Issues 2010 to open up toward a subject with large scientific and industrial potential, called the olfaction digital science.
Since 2010, the DOS Committee has decided to highlight a topic of the future in connection with our most primitive sense: olfaction. Being the actuation of the sense of smell, olfaction has a wide potential of study because of its multidisciplinary aspects.
As the founder and chairman of DOS, Dr Marvin Edeas wishes to highlight the Olfaction, as “the Forgotten Sense”, which must be more investigated for human health and our well-being. His idea is to create devices which not only can capture odors, but also turn them into digital data as well as transmit them everywhere in the world and restitute the original odor.
Why a Society dedicated to Digital Olfaction?
Olfaction, a topic of interest in several scientific fields, has gradually become a topic of the future. Following the latest advances in the research related to olfaction, the challenge is to transfer this knowledge towards innovative technology. How about digitizing smells? This complex concept aims at turning any odorous source into a digital media which can be applied to our lifestyle.
In order to bring together all scientific data related to digital olfaction, we decided to create an international organization, the Digital Olfaction Society (DOS).
Our desire is to promote this innovative concept whose aim is to turn any odorous source into digital media applicable to our lifestyle. As a matter of fact, the idea is to create devices which not only can record smells, turn them into digital data but also transmit and restitute them where we like.
In a few words, the objective of DOS is to gather, share, and complete the knowledge recently established about olfactory digitization. Our perspective is to build up constructive links between leading researchers and industrialists in order to set up appropriate strategies in order to implement Research & Development through practical applications with a high impact on our lifestyle thanks to the potential of olfactory digitization. We want to move from the Stone Age of odorous substance toward a New Age by means of digital fragrance, aroma and smell technologies.
Challenges of the Digital Olfaction Society
DOS first challenge is to update existing olfactory Research & Development. We will highlight the interdisciplinary sciences connected to the digital smell world and its related topics including:
- Chemistry, Biochemistry and its impact on Neuroscience
- Electronics, Physics, Engineering
- Mathematics, Computing Science
DOS second challenge is to consider the practical applications of digital olfaction, i.e. the way in which we can transfer the recent scientific breakthroughs. We do believe that the interest of such a subject calls for its detailed study insofar as it represents a goldmine with its many applications in the communication, food, medical, and cosmetic industries.
Olfactory digitization plunges us into an interactive experience bearing strong marks of reality, making it possible to “feel” movies, games, music, SMS, emails or any digital media. Such applications make it possible to access a more immersive and exciting environment; our olfactory sense is becoming a key element for the innovative products of various industries. With digital fragrances, a quasi-subliminal new dimension is reached which can transport viewers, players to the very heart of the world of senses.
DOS third challenge is to project those applications to everyday life to measure their impact on our lifestyle. We might think that olfactory digitization is similar to digital science-fiction, but such a belief seems to be outdated nowadays. Following the huge advances made by very few leading researchers in this field, we understand that the fledgling applications of olfactory digitization open the doors to a world of high technology in search of olfactory control. The digitization of olfaction brings about the idea of improved and individualized entertainment and communication; however the potential of digital olfaction can be extended to the development of medical treatments and diagnosis, especially neurological, or to the field of safety for carmakers or the Army. There is no doubt that the digitization of smells, fragrances and aromas will be the technology of tomorrow.
DOS gathers international researchers and academics, R&D departments in link with all the field of digital olfaction, chemistry, mathematics, physics, biochemistry, electronics, engineering, computer science, food and cosmetic industries, olfactory intelligent systems companies, marketing managers, investors and all other stakeholders in olfaction and digital olfaction industries in order to answer these questions.
Ideas and programs of previous editions.
Prof. Jesús Lozano Rogado
President of Digital Olfaction Society,
University of Extremadura, Spain