You could start smelling the roses from far away using AI

Ever send a picture of yourself trying on clothes to a friend to see what they think of how you look? Now, imagine doing the same from the perfume and cologne counter. AI could make that happen in the not-too-distant future after a breakthrough in ‘Scent Teleportation.’ Osmo, which bills itself as a “digital olfaction” company, has succeeded in using AI to analyze a scent in one location and reproduce it elsewhere without human intervention.

Scent teleportation uses sensors to collect and analyze a scent with a Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). The data is then transmitted to a specialized molecular printer, which can synthesize and combine the chemicals necessary to exactly reproduce the scent. Osmo has previously performed scent teleportation, but only with humans helping the process at every step.

That’s no longer necessary. Osmo has successfully used AI to map the processed scent onto its Principal Odor Map (POM), a database that predicts how specific combinations of molecules correspond to particular smells. AI models can then communicate the molecular profile of the scent to a robotic system to create and mix a replica of the aroma. The video demonstration by Osmo CEO Alex Wiltschko below shows how it works.

Smells like AI

“Well, we actually did it. We digitized scent. A fresh summer plum was the first fruit and scent to be fully digitized and reprinted with no human intervention. It smells great. Holy moly, I’m still processing the magnitude of what we’ve done. And yet, it feels like as we cross this finish line we are instantly at a new starting line,” Wiltschko shared on X. “I don’t know if this is embarrassing, but I carry the plum scent with…