Smartphones can be used for messaging, phone calls, games, emails and more and now, thanks to Nivea, the gadgets can detect body odor in men. The technology behind the “smellphone” uses an algorithm created by analyzing the scents of 4,000 men.
Inspiration for the product came from a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, which found a gender discrepancy in human olfactory function. Specifically, the brain’s perception of odors is 40 percent smaller in men.
The brainchild of Belgium-based advertising executive Geoffrey Hantson, the smartphone cover is currently being beta tested and will come with an accompanying app.
“We’re introducing the app next month, but it won’t work until the phone cover is available,” told Hantson to HuffPost. “It’s up to Nivea on whether they want to sell those covers separately or as part of a package of body care products.”
For those who think this technology sounds gimmicky, know that UC Riverside professor Nosang Myung, who invented an electronic nose, thinks it is possible, in theory. “It’s possible it could work,” Myung told HuffPost. “It uses a simple system and it’s only detecting human sweat. So it’s possible.”
The real question is: does anyone care enough about their body odor to purchase a smartphone cover and download an app?
