Aromajoin unveils at CES 2024 first speakers that can deliver more than 100 scents

Japanese company Aromajoin unveiled the Aroma Speaker 60 speakers at the CES 2024 exhibition, which reproduce not only sound but also over a hundred different unique scents. The manufacturer even offered a software development kit (SDK) to help content creators combine video with scent for an immersive experience.

Current metaverse technologies, or spatial computing as Apple prefers to call it, operate with a maximum of three senses: sight, hearing, and touch. However, this is insufficient for complete immersion because the brain processes input from all senses, and skipping one or more diminishes the realism. The Aroma Speaker 60 speakers attempt to fill one of these gaps by reproducing both sound and scents, convincing the human brain of what it sees.

Although scent synthesizers have existed for over a decade, they have not produced such a deep impression, as reported by the Yanko Design resource. The Aroma Speaker 60 targets a specific area of space, dispersing scents up to a distance of about 2 meters, enough to capture attention. The scents are distinct, powerful, and even dynamic: when a scene changes on the screen, one aroma disappears, and almost instantly another takes its place.

The manufacturer has not disclosed the technical mechanisms of the scent synthesizer, but it involves a set of aromatic modules located in each speaker—10 modules in total across two columns. Each module includes 6 cartridges with essential oils of basic scents, from which all other scents are formed. The system, controlled by software on a laptop, combines substances in these cartridges to create ready-made scents—both pleasant and unpleasant.

For example, the scent of salted caramel was almost excessively strong, but floral aromas seemed quite fitting. When an endless green field appeared on the screen, the aroma of petrichor, which usually occurs after rain, emerged; then, when the laptop displayed an urban environment, testers sensed the smell of smoke. While these scents have not become entirely lifelike— the brain still hinted that they were artificial—they matched their level quite well.

Aromajoin has not yet released the Aroma Speaker 60 for sale. The company showcased it at the exhibition to demonstrate the functionality of its technology and attract developers to build an ecosystem. The company already has an open-source application and SDK through which users can create scent profiles for videos. Currently, the Aroma Shooter Wearable 3 device is available for purchase—it is worn around the neck and works in conjunction with virtual reality headsets, including Meta Quest 3, to make the immersion effect in the metaverse more realistic.