AI predicts chemicals smells from their structures

Smells are the only type of sensory information that goes directly from the sensory organ the nose, in this case to the brain s memory and emotional centres; the other kinds of sensory input first pass through other brain regions. This direct route explains why scents can evoke specific, intense memories.

There s something special about smell, says neurobiologist Alexander Wiltschko. His start-up company, Osmo in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a spin-off from Google Research that is trying to design new smelly molecules, or odorants.

via www.nature.com

This suggests robots will be able to make themselves smell good. This could be a bad thing.