Scentopia explores how technology might reconnect us emotionally in an age defined by disconnection. As scientific lead, I worked with a team of four multidisciplinary designers to develop nos–a speculative wearable that augments human olfaction to sense others’ emotions through multimodal cues, including visual feedback.

The “nos” concept is grounded in the latest neuroscience, which aims to decode human emotions from their volatile molecular fingerprints detected in the air. Experts like Dr. Jasper de Groot anticipate that specific emotions, such as fear, can be linked to a small number of molecules, which would allow for emotional tracking. To detect these emotional scents, we propose using advanced bionanoelectronic biosensors, similar to those developed by companies like Azztek One. These sensors mimic olfactory neurons by using artificial nanospheres engineered with specialized receptors, which, upon binding to an emotional molecule, create a measurable electrical signal. The feasibility of this detection is supported by the rapid advancements in machine olfaction technology, evidenced by companies like Osmo teaching computers to smell at a human-comparable level.

The final step is to translate the decoded emotional scent signal into a sensory output, leading to the project’s core speculative element: synesthesia. Rather than directly imitating the sense of smell, which presents both technological and significant ethical challenges (especially for anosmic individuals like Tara Scudder), we envision a non-invasive translation of scent signals into color perception. This approach allows users to form personal associations with emotions and colors. Given that the individual technologies—from molecular fingerprinting to advanced biosensors and non-invasive brain stimulation for sensory response—already exist or are rapidly developing, the convergence of these fields suggests a sophisticated emotional “scentopia” like “nos” is technologically feasible within the foreseeable future.

The design of “nos” is a speculative reimagining of the electronic nose, moving it from stationary defense and healthcare applications to a wearable format intended for emotional augmentation. The device is a nose wearable, specifically shaped like a lotus, a universal symbol of resilience and rebirth, to encourage holistic awareness of both the self and the environment. This design choice makes the technology feel like a natural extension of the body’s biology, rather than a detached gadget. The core technology leverages advanced biosensors based on G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) placed on graphene tubes, allowing it to accurately detect and interpret the complex volatile molecules associated with human emotional states.

Crucially, the team addressed ethical and usability concerns by opting for a synesthesia-mimicking experience instead of invasive neural stimulation. After consulting with Tara Scudder, an anosmic individual, the team determined that a literal simulation of smell was both technically challenging and ethically invasive. Instead, “nos” translates the detected emotional scent signals into color perceptions using non-invasive transcranial ultrasound stimulation of the visual cortex. This innovative approach provides an intuitive and associative way for users to interpret emotions visually, like “closed captions” for feelings, enhancing empathy and emotional communication while prioritizing user safety and comfort.