Project
For NASA Space Apps Challenge NY, I assembled a large team and together we created the Senti-8 scentband. This band “allows astronauts to smell the scents they miss on Earth, while those on Earth can share the scents they love”. Inspired by astronaut Doug Wheelock, who actually missed the smell of soil while on the space station for an extended journey, the band uses International Emojis to represent classes of scents, while an e-vapor device allows the scent to be directed through a 3D printed cone. For our prototype, a Neopixel strip controlled by a FLORA microcontroller illuminated scent choices. We also showed the potential for sharing scents with two people in different areas using a phone app and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). Not only did this project place first in NY, it went on to compete at the International level and also received an honorable mention from a separate Kennedy Space Center Wearables competition. Check out more information, as well as our fun process blog on the Senti-8 site.
Future Possibilities
As a team we were already considering the potential for a scent marketplace where people would be able to upload, as well as purchase scents. This product is being considered for patent application.