Inhalio: Digital Scent as a Service

Recently received an update of this.  Previously had examined for retail scent oriented applications as part of our innovation spaces.  Impressive new directions, like use in automobiles.   Note use for things like mood mapping.   Contact Keith for more information. 

Inhalio Overview

Inhalio is a global leader in cloud-based digital scent technology and digital scent as a service. The Inhalio Digital Scent 3.0 Platform is transformative to personal wellness and well-being by diffusing scents that sanitize airborne viruses, eliminate malodors, and create mood-mapped experiences. We focus on the science of scent using a data-centric process of precise scent infusion, molecular dry-air diffusion, and detailed customer insights. Inhalio recently acquired Exhalia, a recognized leader in scent infusion systems.

INHALIÓ: THE WORLD’S 1ST CONNECTED PLATFORM FOR SCENT ™

Inhalio pioneered the concept of a Wellness Ride™ – a breakthrough for mobility companies looking to give their customers healthier, and new emotive in-vehicle experiences. The Inhalio digital scent platform and our wellness scent services are transforming the rideshare, mass transit, and OEM marketplace.

— Keith Kelsen, CEO Inhalio

Whiff, A Scent Revolution?

 I had cause to review the book "Whiff! The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age", by C Russell Brumfield.   A good overview the concept of the idea, especially in retail.  Now somewhat dated, but nicely covers many of the concepts.  We tested in innovation centers as far back as 2016.  Scent is a powerful idea, but remains imprecise.   If anything comes of this mini-investigation will report on it here if I can.  If you can point me to work in the area, please do.  Be glad to talk it. 

Inhalio: Cloud Based Digital Scent

Brought back to my attention.   We had worked in the understanding and delivery of scent systems in retail through our future store innovation center.  Met with a company called Inhalio.  Just revisited their work in this area, here are extracts of their site. Impressive updates. 

About Inhalio

Inhalio is a global leader in cloud-based digital scent technology and digital scent as a service. The Inhalio Digital Scent 3.0 Platform is transformative to personal wellness and well-being by diffusing scents that sanitize airborne viruses, eliminate malodors, and create mood-mapped experiences. We focus on the science of scent using a data-centric process of precise scent infusion, molecular dry-air diffusion, and detailed customer insights. Inhalio recently acquired Exhalia, a recognized leader in scent infusion systems. Automotive and Mobility, Rideshare, Connected Home, Hospitality and Retail industries are making significant investments to embed scent diffusion and management systems into their products and services to enhance consumer experiences, promote wellness and well-being, and further brand loyalty.

All elements of the Inhalio Digital Scent 3.0 Platform are built on a data-centric and cloud-based architecture to deliver a highly scalable Digital Scent as as Service solution. As the world’s first connected platform for scent, the Inhalio Digital Scent 3.0 platform is a multi-patented, multi-scent delivery system and architecture that includes three core components Scent Infusion, Scent Diffusion, and Cloud Insights.

Unlike stand-alone or oil-based systems, the Inhalio platform is a cloud connected and controlled solution with precision multi-scent delivery, intelligent scent cartridge control and management, pure and healthier dry-air diffusion, with advanced consumer insights reporting capabilities and cartridge reorder management. The Intelligent Scent 3.0 platform leads in sustainability with our Eco-Friendly initiative and is licensed for embedded product integration in large scale deployments, as well as a ready-to-order aftermarket solutions.  ... " 

Can AI Sniff the Roses, Predict the Smell?

Spent some time in examining artificial olfaction for the coffee business. Here we are looking at predicting what something smells or tastes like.   The general approach of predictive machine learning is well described below.  The broad idea of 'digital scent' has been broadly mentioned in this blog.

Using AI to Smell the Roses
UC Riverside News
Iqbal Pittalwala

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) used machine learning to understand what a chemical smells like to humans. UCR's Anandasankar Ray and Joel Kowalewski developed a technique for a computer to learn chemical features that activate known human odorant receptors (ORs), then screened about 500,000 compounds for binding ligand molecules for 34 ORs. The team then concentrated on whether their OR activity-estimating algorithm could predict diverse perceptual qualities of odorants, and learned that such activity accurately predicted 146 distinct chemical percepts. Only a few ORs were required for prediction. Said Ray, "The machine learning algorithm can eventually predict how a new chemical will smell, even though we may initially not know if it smells like a lemon or a rose."  ... " 

Detecting Odors

I often mention research in this area because we spent considerable time looking at the idea of an 'artificial nose' to effectively  test quality in products, especially coffee, but in other areas as well.    Here more in the area.  Note the use of 'Neuromorphic', or brain-inspired chips to address the problem.

Intel Trains Neuromorphic Chip to Detect Odors
in VentureBeat
By Kyle Wiggers

Intel and Cornell University researchers have trained Intel's Loihi neuromorphic processor to identify 10 materials from their odors, demonstrating how neuromorphic computing could be applied to detect precursor smells and potentially find explosives and narcotics, diagnose diseases, and notice signs of smoke and carbon monoxide. The chip was trained by configuring the circuit schematic of biological olfaction, using a dataset compiling the activity of 72 chemical sensors in response to various scents. The researchers said the method kept Loihi's memory of the scents intact, and the chip has "superior" recognition accuracy compared with conventional techniques. Said Intel's Nabil Imam, "This work is a prime example of contemporary research at the crossroads of neuroscience and artificial intelligence and demonstrates Loihi's potential to provide important sensing capabilities that could benefit various industries." ... '

Deriving Scent from DNA?

Way back when we were looking at scent  and flavor in consumer products, we talked to scientists about the possibility of extracting these measures from DNA of component natural plants and flowers.    Were told no it was not possible.  It seems not to be there yet today, but some interesting advances taken towards doing this.   Some clear commercial possibilities as well as understanding our natural world

Science has brought back the scent of a long-dead flower in Engadget By Nick Summers, @nisummers

Well, sort of.

We've lost some parts of our natural world. Swathes of plants and animals have been consumed by evolution, shifting climates or the often-damaging expansion of humankind.

For a moment, though, London's iconic Barbican center will let you smell a fragment of our lost history. In the corner of a new AI exhibit, a cuboid hood dangles from the ceiling. Inside are four nozzles that slowly release carefully-chosen fragrances into the air around you.

Bark. Pine. Mint. I'm no smell expert, but these are the words that sprang to mind as I slowly inhaled the odors.

The artificial blend is, for now, our best guess at what Hibiscadelphus wilderianus, a tree that once stood on the Hawaiian island of Maui, used to smell like. A small rock sits to the right of the nozzles, hinting at the ancient lava fields where the last specimen was plucked from in 1912. It's a modest visual aid, which is why some virtual environments are included in a short documentary that plays on a loop nearby. Taken as a whole, the installation is powerful enough to drown out the rest of the exhibit and, for a brief moment, transport you to another time and place entirely.

The project was a multi-year collaboration between, among others, Ginkgo Bioworks, a company that specializes in made-to-order microbes, the International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), Sissel Tolaas, a prolific smell researcher, and Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, a multidisciplinary artist and synthetic biology researcher. As Scientific American explains, it all started when Jason Kelly, the CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, heard about Scent Trek, an initiative by flavor and fragrance giant Givaudan to capture the molecules around exotic flowers and fruits.   ... "

Jurassic Perfumes

From my long ago touch on and interest in the science and commercialization of aroma. A surprising result.  A way to use patterns from genes to innovate aromas?

Jurassic Park for Perfume: Ginkgo Bioworks Reconstructs Scents From Extinct Plants

Synthetic biologists resurrect fragrance-producing genes from bygone plant species .... "

By Elie Dolgin in IEEE Spectrum ....

The AI Nose

Have followed the idea of an 'Artificial Nose' for decades, we were first interested in using it as a automatic way to to evaluate and duplicate coffee blends and their components in the supply chain.  

Also, the argument was if we could digitize  such analyses, we could use that to deliver scents where we wanted to.  We did that in places like the retail store shelf and even the store aisle.   The solutions were never completely satisfactory.   The method here claims to use deep learning.  Continue to follow related tech, see the scent tag below.

An AI ‘nose’ can remember different scents
It can also detect potentially silent but deadly gas mixtures.    by Timothy J. Seppala, @timseppala  .... " 

More on Generating Smells

This is a topic that we covered in the innovation center, and this blog has covered for about the same time.  Have seen dozens of examples claiming generated digital scent.  We looked and tested how it could be integrated into retail.  By package, shelf, zone and even specific to interaction.  Most recently seeing the ability to integrate the idea into the smart home.  Here in Technology Review, some new developments and a good description of the difficulties involved.  Below, lots more coverage of the idea.

InHalio Just Launched

" ... We have been in development on this for the last four years…therefor heads down and nose to the grind stone and  all that…as you know. .... 5th Screen Digital, Inc. just launched the new website today which reflects our current offerings and business in retail, connected home , auto, and entertainment! 

Welcome to the “Internet of Scent” a new form of content that will drive new experiences. ... Ahh… the sweet smell of success.

www.inhalio.com     @Inhalio 

Best,
Keith Kelsen, CVO

Report of a recent partnership in gaming.

InHalio: Towards an Internet of Scent

From a long time co-participant in retail.   Our innovation center tested a number of sensory interaction devices in retail environments using smell, touch, vision and sound.  The data gathered during such interactions is also valuable.

Entertain your senses.  A digital Gateway to Fragrances.  An Internet of Scent.

5th Screen Digital enables a bold new world of smell based on its Inhalio platform. Years of development led to this disruptive and scalable solution to add scent to the digital experience. Inhalio brings a personalized scent experience to the connected world…the Internet of Scent.

Inhalio Retail enables a retail experience unlike any other. Consumers are greeted with gorgeous animations, and they touch the screen to select a fragrance. The dry fragrance is dispersed for them to smell. Consumers can determine their individual preferences in a personal experience. Inhalio platform creates a new engagement for digital signage.

While engaging and entertaining the consumer in a remarkable new manner, the Inhalio platform monitors the system, tracks usage and provides invaluable feedback and data to the retailer and brands. ... The Inhalio platform can create a mood scent that just like music or lighting allows the dispersion of scent to help create a mood.

The sense of smell is the most powerful memorable sense that we have. The olfactory cortex is embedded within the brain’s system where emotions are born and emotional memories stored. That’s why scents, feelings and memories become so easily and intimately entangled.

We look forward to how you will connect the Internet of Scent with the Internet of Things!   ... " 

Video.

Background on Digital Scent Technology

Reproducing Scent

In Fastcoexist: A kind of biomimicry.   We worked on related ideas when in the food business.   " ... Scent Of A Rose, With Designer Microbes .... Stop and smell the genetically engineered yeast. .... ".  Now for dealing with supply and cost constraints.

An Electronic Nose to Detect State of Health

Looking at the Electronic nose again.  We were primarily interested in detecting engaging aromas in coffee.  Now In Knowledge @ Wharton: " ... Samuel M. Khamis, the CEO of a new tech start-up, is building a chip that can be embedded in your smartphone and will be able to smell your breath. With just a whiff, the “electric nose” sensor, which Khamis is developing at Adamant Technologies, can provide information about a person’s current metabolic state and detail how many calories he or she is burning in real time. ... " .  Positioned as the 'Future of Mobile Health'. See also Adamant Technologies site.   See also related Time Mag article (registration required).

Digital Taste Buds

A long time interest that we explored with several research groups.  Virtual taste has huge implications.  Was relevant when we were still selling foods.  It also linked to related work in generating aroma.  In Fast Company, new work in the area.   With an element, as the article suggests of 'reverse engineering'.  " ... But now there is an electrode that can mimic the tastes of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. It can potentially help people with diabetes who want desserts, but should not have them; cancer patients who experience decreased sense of taste during chemotherapy; and people hooked on sugary drinks. Also, the next time someone has a great meal and wants everyone in their social media circle to know, they don't have to depend on Instagram--they can potentially email a link that mimics the deliciousness. ... "

Seeking Delivered Aroma on Demand

One of our longtime interests.  Can you deliver tailored aroma digitally?  On demand and mobile?   There have been a half dozen attempts, none very successful.  Here is another example, delivering popcorn scent to your smartphone with a dongle.  Not what we were attempting to do, simplisitic, looks mainly to be an attention ploy, but another example.  Read more written here about related work.  " ... Hey, My iPhone Smells Like Popcorn! ...  Pop Secret's limited-edition gizmo is an olefactory breakthrough ... " 

And also about scent, Nissan invents the scent of the future.

Sending Scent

A long followed idea.  We did actual experiments in the space.  Can digital scent signatures be transmtted and reconstructed?  We found out no at the time.  Another attempt at the idea.  Still in Beta and looks unlikely, but I post this to be complete.

Making Time For Innovation

In Innovation Excellence:  A former CPG innovation manager Kevin McFarthing,  talks about how people collaborate for innovation  in the big enterprise, spinning scenarios that sound very reminiscent of my own experience.  Good read. " ... First, if you are serious about innovation, time must be found to do it properly, with a clear link to strategy, a strong understanding of priority areas to attack, a process that’s well understood and targets to reach. There is no point allocating an hour in the management meeting agenda and saying, “right, it’s innovation time, let’s have some ideas.” And please, don’t start an innovation initiative with a suggestion scheme. ... " 

Coke is Gamifying the Game

In Adage:  Coke creates a social media game based on a Superbowl ad.   How well will it work for ongoing engagement beyond the event?   Would it have been better to create something that is football related?   Will it depend on the progress of the football game?    An ad is a short 'bite'of interaction that can be forgotten,  an ongoing game requires fun engagement with some effort.  Will this idea perform? " ... On Facebook today, the beverage giant unveiled a teaser video for a spot it calls "Mirage," a 60-second ad showing that depicts three factions --badlanders, cowboys and showgirls -- racing through the desert in pursuit of a bottle of Coke. The ad, created by Wieden & Kennedy, closes with a cliffhanger, as the groups realize the bottle was simply a sign. Another sign points them "50 miles ahead." In a twist reminiscent of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series, consumers will sabotage competitors and choose who wins the Coke, ultimately choosing the 30-second spot that will air post game. ... " 

Testing Flavors Online

Testing flavors online .. Not quite what it seems reading the headline.  Reminds me of our own digital scent work.   True virtualization of non-sight sensory  interaction at a distance will be a big deal.

Invention of Deodorant

Out of the Smithsonian Magazine:  On the invention of deodorant.  The classic history of the marketing of solutions we did not completely understand that we had.  Instructive example of changing a niche idea into broad application through convincing arguments.  " ... 100 years later, the deodorant and antiperspirant industry is worth $18 billion. The transformation from niche invention to a blockbuster product was in part kick-started by Murphey, whose nascent business was nearly a failure. According to Odorono company files at Duke University, Edna Murphey’s Odorono booth at the 1912 Atlantic City exposition initially appeared to be another bust for the product. ... "