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Anti-smell

Old title : Anti-stench perfume
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This is a concept of antinoise applied to the domain of smell.

This will be a tailormade perfume which completely cancels out a only one specific odour giving a perfectly neutral odour.

One will be able to have a custommade perfume to cancel out his/her body odour.

Note that this is not about deoderents; Deoderents are different. They remove the odour causing bacteria in the sweat itself.

VJW, Jul 04 2011

inspiration: Pre-antiblurred_20image_2e
[VJW, Jul 04 2011]

Analogous to this : Noise_20Cancellatio...20ghostly_20effects
Antinoise [VJW, Jul 04 2011]

Universal anti-smell http://www.clinph-j...04)00009-4/abstract
But you'd have to walk around in a fog of the stuff, which would have disadvantages. [mouseposture, Jul 05 2011]

[link]






       mmmmm pheromones...
po, Jul 04 2011
  

       mmmm... the English language and science. [-]
FlyingToaster, Jul 04 2011
  

       How does this work? Smell works by odorant molecules binding to receptors in the nose. How do you "anti" that?   

       (Yes, obviously, devise a non-smelly molecule that binds to and blocks those specific receptors. Won't work, as just about anything binding to the receptor will stimulate it in the same way as the odour molecule.)   

       [-] unless you can come up with a plausible mechanism.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 04 2011
  

       The problem I see with this is that if you come up with something that could neutralize my manly and virile stench, the other sundry stenches will be competing for attention (sneakers, the natural fragrance from yesterday's chili cook-off, etc)... [ ]
Grogster, Jul 04 2011
  

       If you smell like H2S you're probably going to attract the odd "undesirable", like volcanic vents and rotting eggs, I imagine.
infidel, Jul 05 2011
  

       In the domain of colors, black is exactly opposite of white. They cancel out each other.   

       Similarly, In case of sound (pressure wave), high pressure is exactly opp. low (or negative) pressure.   

       I am theorizing that in the domain of smell, it is plausible that, for a given smell, there is an exactly opposite of that smell; Both of these smells, when smelt together, will be odourless. Which means this Anti-smell will generate opposite electrical waveform at receptors at nose.   

       How to find an anti-smell ?   

       Hypothetically, one way could be this : Using oscilloscopes, analyse the wave form at nose receptors, which a given smell generates. Then find a smell from thousands of smells available (as Edison did for filaments) which generates opposite waveform pattern. Voila, that is (anti)smell we need.
VJW, Jul 05 2011
  

       there was an "ozium" or ozone spray which did this
dentworth, Jul 05 2011
  

       //In the domain of colors, black is exactly opposite of white.//   

       Not really. One is the absence of the other, not it's opposite. (Which varies, for additive color schemes [light] black is the absence of white, for subtractive [inks/dyes] it's the other way around). There is no such thing as a dark light source that you can shine on an object to cancel out a white light source.
MechE, Jul 05 2011
  

       Deode-rents? To anti-smell your apartment?
xandram, Jul 05 2011
  

       //I am theorizing that in the domain of smell, it is plausible that, for a given smell, there is an exactly opposite of that smell; Both of these smells, when smelt together, will be odourless. Which means this Anti-smell will generate opposite electrical waveform at receptors at nose.//   

       Just very no. That's not how it works. You have distinct receptors for different compounds (each receptor picks up a collection of similar odorant molecules).   

       What you're saying is like saying "If I hit the just right spot on your left foot with a hammer, it will create the exact opposite of the pain signals you get when I stick a pin in your arse. All I have to do is to find the exact combination and they'll cancel eachother out."   

       A lot is already known about the olfactory system.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 05 2011
  

       [spidermother] Since you expressed exactly my own opinion, I'll now argue the opposite:   

       From your annotation, I conclude that the substance which is the oppsite of *every* smell is ... aerosolized tetrodotoxin.   

       (Actually, nasal lidocaine spray exists. And probably does impede olfaction <link>)
mouseposture, Jul 05 2011
  

       //Fine, but smells don't generate a waveform at nose receptors//   

       May not be right at the receptor, but later along the "line" to brain ?   

       All sensers utimately communicate with brain using electrical impulses.
VJW, Jul 06 2011
  

       Am I the only person here who thinks that this is one of the greatest ideas EVER?
mr_bigmouth_502, Jul 08 2011
  
      
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