Enhancing well-being at the intersections of neuroscience, technology and perfumery
Patented Wearable Technology
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Wearable Wireless System (“device”) and Method For Dispensing Fluid(s) (“fragrances”) in Response
To One or More Sensed Properties ("sound" / "biometric").
PCT/GB2005/004237 Granted UK (2009)
China (2012)
Granted in the USA (2017)
The core product conceived and developed by eScent and first published by IET in 2006, is a miniature fragrance delivery device, concealed in a pendant, necklace or other jewellery or in a button, a cuff-link or collar of a garment. The key is that it is or can be near the nose, as the device is technologically designed to contain one or more small vials of highly concentrated scent, so integration within fashion, possibly even in the fabric itself or in an accessory, is a major requirement.
Within this small device are to be contained;
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a reservoir for the scent(s)
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some sensors for detecting alternative conditions to act as triggers as described below
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a mechanism for the controlled release of a precise amount of scent.
Each of these individual components is critical and together they make the product unique.
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The reservoir is leak-proof irrespective of the nature of the liquid perfume used, so it cannot be made of a material which would erode with certain fragrance oils or ethanol.
The sensors are conceived as being capable of triggering controlled doses of scent (or other liquids such as pheromones, pharma etc.,) under a large range of different circumstances.
The patent was written with mosquito repellent as a major feature, so noise detection sensors are clearly one of the types of sensors that might be integrated into the eScent®. However, as is clear from the patent, eScent have allowed for a very broad range of triggers, including diverse body conditions (heart rate, temperature, pulse, skin conductance, body odour found in sweat and in ear-wax, etc) which might be used in the deployment of the eScent® device in some non-fashion-based uses such as for monitoring and managing wellbeing, psychological state and/or physical condition.
Other sensors which can be imagined for the deployment of eScent® in alternative contexts include smell/gas - the device might detect poison and be triggered to alert the wearer perhaps via a mobile phone - and a variety of noises (sound and frequency of a buzzing mosquito or baby’s cry, snoring, irritated voice or sudden stress-inducing noise) which might release calming scents, or decongestants or essential oils triggered by a sneeze or cough.
The release mechanism and trigger, which is set off by the sensors and activates the fragrance in the reservoir in a controlled manner using very small electric charges to open a nozzle. eScent has coined and patented the phrase the “scent bubble” to describe the precise volume of scent to be released for the individual alone to get the impact without impinging on neighbours. Clearly in confined spaces this can be a very important determinant of success but also in outdoor areas having the quantity which is relevant for the user’s nose without too much or too little is a key factor in achieving the fragrance impact desired.
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Earlier wireless sensory prototypes can be seen here