We Induced Smells With Ultrasound

We pointed an ultrasound probe at the scent-processing region of the brain to obtain different sensations. Different focal spots corresponded to different smells, which we’ve replicated first-try on two people and validated with a blind trial. The sensations we obtained are:


The sensation of fresh air, with a lot of oxygen

The smell of garbage, like few-day-old fruit peels

An ozone-like sensation, like you're next to an air ionizer

A campfire smell of burning wood