The Smell-o-vision television prototype from the South Korean start-up Aromojoin.
Image Credit: Contributed/Aromajoin
December 13, 2014 - 2:26 PM
When it comes to Christmas gifts for grown-ups, some might say it's all about being a kid at heart. With that in mind, take a look at some of the trending and pending toys for adults announced this holiday season.
You've joked about Smell-o-vision and heard that someday it may actually happen — well that day is... soon. A South Korean company has developed the technology to bring the smell of sweaty action stars right into your very own living room. The Aromajoin system has an emitter that works with cartridges, similar to the ink dispensers used in printers, but instead, the unit holds sold hunks of packed smell molecules.
The smells are emitted in three-second bursts and are synced with video software. Video editors schedule the device to emit odours in combinations that match each scene, similar to the way soundtracks are edited to video. It's a symphony for the olfactory senses. So far, Aromajoin has sold 30 of its device packages, each at $2,550.
Want an an ultra-cheap, virtual reality system? Google Cardboard is the way to go.
Google Cardboard is a DIY virtual reality system, kind of.
Image Credit: Contributed/Google
Google decided, instead of building a headset from scratch, they’d create a cardboard product that offers a complete virtual reality experience. It’s composed of $25 worth of parts — plastic lenses, rubber bands, corrugated box, glue and magnets) You provide the smartphone that fits into the front of the box to serve as the brains and screen of the headset. If you liked your ViewMaster when you were a kid, you’ll probably love this.
Sony is expected to launch a watch sometime in 2015 made of e-paper. It’s not the company’s first smartwatch. They already launched an Android-compatible Smartwatch line, but this new model is different because the e-paper allows the device to change appearance entirely, so it can be tweaked according to the wearer’s desire. The drawback? The watch likely won’t be as technologically capable as Motorola or Apple versions.
Brew coffee from bed. We’ve all seen the movie with the ultra-intelligent lead character rising from bed, stumbling to the kitchen while a cleverly devised hands-free, perfectly-timed chain reaction begins; squeezing toothpaste onto the brush, pouring a glass of orange juice, cracking an egg into a frying pan — ultimately ending with a cup of hot coffee poured into a mug.
That’s not what Mr. Coffee will be offering, but it’s the next best thing.
What they have is a 10-cup smart brewing machine that lets you program your morning java schedule for up to a week and you can monitor how it’s going remotely from under a pile of blankets if you like using Belkin’s WeMo app. Laziness is rewarded each morning with the user waiting until the last drip before venturing from the coziness of bed. You can even reschedule the timing of each pot from a smartphone, no matter where you are.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Shelley Jordan at sjordan@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014