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Ohio State team reports prototype that detects odors and recreates them remotely
CNA, carrying a Reuters report, said Ohio State researchers described a Science Advances prototype that classifies a few trained odors and triggers a wearable scent generator at a distance.
- Our desk updated its story
Based on reporting by CNA
Wire reporting: (Reuters, via CNA)
Primary source: Science Advances paper (DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aee9266)
CNA published a Reuters report Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, describing a research prototype that classifies a small set of odors and signals a remote device to release matching fragrance liquids1.
The account attributed the work to a study in Science Advances led by Chunyu Yang, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering at Ohio State University1. It said an electronic nose of gas sensors feeds a machine-learning classifier trained on beer, cake, coffee, oranges and red wine, then an online link tells a scent generator what to emit; odor molecules themselves are not sent over the network1.
The e-nose was described as portable but not wearable, with generator versions as a wristband, necklace or handheld unit1. The report said the system currently recognizes only those five categories, that expanding the set would require more training and matching liquids, and that the work is a research prototype rather than a commercial product1.
Yang, as paraphrased in that Reuters copy, described remaining barriers including mixed real-world odors, more scents in a compact generator, fidelity, refills, durability, cost and safety of repeated mist exposure, and said putting reservoirs and atomizers inside a phone would be harder than pairing a phone with an accessory1. Independent access to the journal paper was not in the assignment coverage1.
