Fragrant Camera

Researchers from Central Saint Martins, UK, have developed a camera that can capture the scent of memories – recording smells instead of images. The gadget called Madeleine is the brainchild of designer Amy Radcliffe who set out to bring a more meaningful sensory element for storing cherished memories.

The camera functions by acting like a nose that sucks up the surrounding smell. In order to use it, a person needs to place a funnel attached to the camera over the object or environment they wish to capture. The pump fixed to it then sucks the air across an odour trap made of Tenax, a porous polymer resin which absorbs the particles that make up the smell.

The functioning prototype takes a few minutes to capture the smell of a small object like a strawberry and up to a day to store the delicate smells of an ambience.