Telewest tests out how Email is Scent

Cable company Telewest Broadband is currently testing new technology that brings a new sense to the internet, allowing users to send and receive a variety of aromas whilst surfing the net.

The ScentMail involves a high-speed, broadband internet connection, enabling people to send and receive codes to special 'scent domes,' which mix liquid smells and spray them into the air around the PC. Even online shopping services benefit with the added dimension of smell.

Domes, costing about £250, plug in like a printer or scanner. Initially, each scent dome contains 20 aromas that can be mixed to produce up to 60 different smells but up to 2,000 scents could be available in the future.

Telewest predicts that uses could include evoking:

* Holidays
Smell the sea and suntan lotion while taking a virtual tour of your chosen destination

* Online groceries
Wafts of fresh bread and fruit tantalise your taste buds as you make your way around the e-supermarket

* Horse racing
Smell the turf as the 3:15 at Doncaster thunders past on your PC screen

* Aromatherapy
De-stress and unwind with your PC

* Jazz club
Savour the atmospheric smells of whisky and cigars while you enjoy the music from home

Kate Fox, director of the Social Issues Research Centre in Oxford, says that by adding a third sense to the internet, Telewest is helping to 'humanise' cyberspace – using technology to re-create more primitive forms of communication.

'The association of fragrance and emotion is not an invention of poets or perfume-makers. Our sense of smell is directly connected to our emotions - smells trigger very powerful and deep-seated emotional responses, and this additional element to the internet will enhance users' online experience by adding that crucial third dimension,' she says.

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