Sony has been awarded a patent for a technology that
could conjure up smells, tastes and other sensations in the brains
of movie-goers. Specifically, the patent (US Patent 6,729,337)
covers "a method for generating sensory data onto the human neural
cortex".
The more wary of you may wonder whether we have been suckered
by a late April Fool's gag. We wondered about that too, but you can
check out the patent in all its bizarre glory.
So unless the US patent office has suddenly developed a much better
sense of humour, we'll take this one as legit.
It describes using ultrasonic transducers (we kid you not) to
stimulate neural activity in particular areas of the brain, causing
the person to experience smells and tastes as part of the cinematic
experience.
Film buffs could transport themselves to the garbage compactor
in Star Wars (the original), join Frank N. Furter for a Meatloaf
dinner in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or smell the glove in
Spinal Tap. Call us cynics if you like, but we suspect the
technology may have a bit more of a market in the adult video
industry.
The technology is outlined in the patent thus: "Changes in the
neural firing timing induce various sensory experiences, depending
on the location...the system induces recognizable sensory
experiences by applying ultrasonic energy pulsed at low frequency
in one or more selected patterns on one or more selected locations
of the cortex."
Elizabeth Boukis, a spokeswoman for Sony Electronics,
described the invention as "prophetic", New Scientist reports. "It
was based on an inspiration that this may someday be the direction
that technology will take us," she told the magazine.
Suitably inspired, we're off down the patent office to lay
claim to the warp engine, tricorder, and transporter. We'd get
more, but we expect George Lucas has already called dibs on the
light-sabre and the death star, and Woody Allen might have snapped
up the Orgasmatron by the time we get there.
