In this post we are going to answer questions that we are constantly asked and that we think may be of interest to all those who love digital immersion and more real experiences:
What makes Olorama Digital Scent diffuser different?
How can scents be activated?
What are they, like printer cartridges but with smells…?
How much does the scent linger?
Why hasn’t anyone thought of this?
What applications does Olorama have?
Who is a typical Olorama customer?
What makes Olorama Digital Scent diffuser different?
At Olorama we are passionate about the power of smell on our emotions, our cognitive activity and our behaviour.
We strongly believe that smell has many applications in how we approach health, how we relate to each other, and how we approach entertainment and creativity. So we digitised our smell sensor and created a product called Olorama.
It’s used in the most natural way. Our scent generator connects to virtually any device that acts as an emitter (PC, mobile, VR headset, DMX, Crestron…), and allows you to enjoy multi-sensory content and deliver ultra-immersive experiences through smell.
I was recently in a hotel, each floor focused on a theme (beach, forest, streets). The hotel was a chain hotel in Rio de Janerio (Brazil).
On our floor the theme was the forest. All the walls were lined with vinyls of Brazilian forests, and you could hear the singing of native birds… Why not go one step further, why not add the smells of the Amazon? Thanks to Olorama this is now possible…
Our intelligent digital scent diffusers are based on our patented technology and allow you to activate up to 10 different scents with a programmable duration (from 1 to 5 minutes). It can be combined with a presence sensor so that only the odour is activated at the right time. The devices hide and the user simply “doesn’t know where the smell is coming from”, which increases the “Wow” effect and the positive reaction of the customer.
How can scents be activated?
We have more than 200 different smells (here is the list of the most popular smells). Some of them are exclusive (we only have them in Olorama), such as the smell of gunpowder, burnt tyre, or burnt fuel oil.
Our scent diffusers are controlled via ethernet. We offer different control options, like via UDP messaging (API), Unity, DMX, App for iOS devices or even voice activation!
But that’s not all. Olorama also allows you to activate scents synchronised with a video. You could project a video or movie, and when cheese appears in the scene then activate a nice Italian parmesan smell (I’m not lying to you, our cheese smell is extracted from parmesan reggiano).
What are they, like printer cartridges but with smells…?
Easier. Our patented technology allows you to change any of the 10 scent cartridges with a simple “click” (see here): Our scents are made with hyper-realistic essential oils. To refill the scents, or order new ones, you can do it online, and within 5 days (Spain) and 10 days (rest of the world) you will receive them. Our scents are not refillable, but we can incorporate scents from our customers (all we need is that you send us the fragrance/essential oil) to our offices:
How much does the scent linger?
Between 30 seconds and 5 minutes, depending on the smell and the intensity (the intensity is a configuration parameter of our equipment). For example, the smell of burning wood is not the same as the smell of freshly cut grass, or cheese (although cheese is delicious, the smell is strong, as it is produced under fermentation and these bacteria alert our brain with this characteristic strong smell).
Let’s say that all those smells that do not pose a risk to our survival instinct, are more volatile than those where evolution has made us sensitive (such as rotten smells), as they are actually signals that “we have to stay alert”. On average, you will be able to switch from one smell to another within 30-45 seconds, but as I say, variations depend on other factors.
Why hasn’t anyone thought of this?
Many have “fantasised” about the idea of watching a film, passing through a field of poppies, and smelling the flowers as if you were there, achieving a total audiovisual experience, involving sight, hearing and smell.
Since the smell-o-vision system (1970s), until the recent failure of Feel Real (2020), there has been the illusion of incorporating smell and achieving more immersive experiences, but the complexity of achieving realistic aromas, and the complexity of designing an effective technology to evenly distribute the smell, have practically left the professional Olorama generator alone in a market that, although small right now, has exponential growth potential.
What applications does Olorama have?
Our vision is not only to be able to enjoy smells in videos/movies, or virtual reality, but to go beyond that. To be able to make presentations with smells, marketing actions, apply it to health and wellness, or even museums! Anything you can imagine where smell completes an experience, you can use Olorama’s generators.
Who is a typical Olorama customer?
Although anyone could buy one of our Digital Scent diffusers and start enjoying a new sensory and immersive experience from their own home, the reality is that our customers are usually other companies. In other words, we are a company that sells to other companies (B2B). Agencies, universities, public bodies, museums, are some of the sectors that buy from us the most.
As an example, when the creative department of an agency is designing an experience for a client, and ideas start to come up, if someone says “what if we could incorporate the smell”, that’s when we come in. A simple search on any search engine and we appear as the only professional digital scent solution.
