Multi-component olfactory display with a SAW atomizer and micropumps controlled by a tablet PC

An olfactory display is a gadget to present scents to a user. In this study, we developed the tablet PC-compatible olfactory display using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device and eight micropumps. The olfactory display can blend multiple kinds of odorants with the specified recipe. A SAW device can atomize even the scents of low volatile odor compounds which typically require much time to be released. The micropumps provide very tiny droplets to the surface of SAW device. The SAW device and micropumps can be controlled by the tablet PC. This olfactory display has advantage from the viewpoint of little remaining scents since this olfactory display can deliver the scents to a user without tubes. To evaluate the olfactory display, we used a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) gas sensor. As a result, we confirmed that the olfactory display can atomize even the low volatile odor compound.