Will Phones Let You Smell What's On The Other End Of The Call One Day?

Phones that transmit odors seem like a great idea, but careful what you wish for!

By Jian Liu, University of Tennessee
Sep 19, 2024 2:00 PM
boy-smelling-foul-phone
(Credit: Teo Mahatmana/iStock via Getty Images)

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Imagine this: You pick up your phone for a video call with a friend. Not only can you see their face and hear their voice, but you can also smell the cookies they just baked. It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but could it actually happen?

I’m a computer scientist who studies how machines sense the world.

What Phones Do Now

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