Like a Glade Plug-in for your armpits?
While most of the wearable devices on the market today have been geared towards tracking activity levels, monitoring sleep habits or even analyzing fitness routines, we may be on the cusp of a new era in body-adorned gadgetry. That’s because Google has received a patent for a movement-tracker that activates a web-connected air freshener to emit a fragrance to mask any offending odors caused by physical activity. In other words, you’ll no longer need to smell your armpits to ensure that you’re free of B.O.
How it works is pretty self-explanatory. If the device, shall find you on the smelly side, it will give off a nice-smelling fragrance to deoderize you. What’s more, the gizmo also plugs into your social media accounts to help steer clear of any friends who may be in your vicinity. If someone is nearby, the device will send the not-so-fresh-smelling wearer a map with a route to navigate around those folks. The one-of-a-kind gadget is also equipped with a tiny fan to ensure the fragrance gets to the right place.
“When a user is wearing the fragrance emission device and begins to exert himself or herself, an activity module within the device may detect the physical exertion. The activity module may detect a rise in sweat levels, an increase in body odor or body temperature, or any other parameter that may indicate the user is exercising or otherwise exerting themself,” Patent No. 8,950,238 reads.
When the activity module determines that the user is performing a physical activity, it alerts the device’s built-in predictor. This predictor then uses the information provided by the activity module to predict when the user will generate body odor in the future, and when a fragrance will need to be applied to the user.
“For the purposes of brevity, the material applied to the user will be described as a fragrance, however, the material applied may also be an odor neutralizer, which would serve to neutralize or eliminate the body odor generated by the user instead of covering it up with a fragrance. In some embodiments, the predictor may also use information stored within the device regarding past instances where a fragrance was emitted, combine that information with the current information supplied by the activity module, determine when body odor will be generated by the user, and dispense an appropriate amount of fragrance at an appropriate time,” the patent document explains.
Once the predictor determines when the user will begin to generate body odor, an optional alert module located within the device may alert the user of the situation and let the user know when the fragrance will be emitted. The user will then have the opportunity to override the impending fragrance emission, based on the current circumstances of the user. This will particularly come in handy if, say, you are planning on showering immediately after a high-intensity workout.
“Should the user choose to reject the fragrance emission, a suppressor located within the device will cancel the scheduled fragrance emission such that the material dispenser will not dispense the fragrance at the scheduled time. Should the user choose to accept the fragrance emission instead, the suppressor will not cancel the scheduled fragrance emission, and the material dispenser will dispense the fragrance at the scheduled time.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the Google concept will actually make it to product form. Though, given the proliferation of fitness-focused apps and wearables, it does mean that the world is becoming more active and therefore will get a bit stinkier, too. Interested in learning more? You can find the entire patent here.
