Follow your nose

By Peter Maxwell 06 : 05 : 2016 Cyrano : ONotes : Boston

Boston – Cyrano is a portable scent speaker that enables users to create and share bespoke olfactory playlists.

Cartridges inside the device dispense scents that are designed to alter a user’s mood
An accompanying app enables users to switch between different scents and adjust their intensity

Cyrano was designed by Vapor Communications, the same company behind the olfactory messaging platform oNotes. The device aims to mitigate the effects of olfactory fatigue, where people are temporarily unable to distinguish a specific smell after prolonged exposure to it. Cyrano’s curated scent playlists, termed mood medleys, emit a sequence of aromas that each last for several minutes to keep users’ senses engaged. With names such as Get Energy and Get Relaxed, the playlists are designed to accommodate different moods.

The device ships with the Natural Moods cartridge set, which features 12 notes that range from the familiar, such as lavender and peppermint, to the unexpected, such as suntan and Venetian bellini. Users can also create their own mood medleys and share them with other Cyrano users.

‘Olfactory sensations trigger emotions and memories like no other sensation,’ David Edwards, co-founder of Vapor Communications, told Boston Business Journal.

The Big Picture

From digital devices such as Cyrano to olfactory exhibitions such as The Paradise Paradoxe, scent is fast becoming the next frontier in communication.