Potential Applications
Millions of people around the world suffer from stress, anxiety, and loss of attention, affecting their personal and professional lives. One of the most common sources of stress in the United States is work. Stress and anxiety impact workplace performance, the quality of the work as well as the relationship with superiors and coworkers. Thus, a growing number of technologies aim to bring more calmness in people’s daily life, and help them be more mindful and present in the moment. We believe that on-face olfactory interfaces could provide subtle cues for breathing exercises and support mindfulness practices in public settings, while working in an open office, library, or driving a vehicle, without disturbing others. We envision that a close-to-nose interface could be used as a drug delivery device instead of using nasal cannulas or masks, to deliver a small amount of liquid medicine or hormones such as oxytocin directly to the nostrils throughout the day and night. On-face olfactory devices can be coupled with board or Virtual Reality games by transferring hidden information only to the wearer. We also envision that people could customize the aesthetics of the device and match it to their fashion, cultural believes, jewelry, or piercings. Finally, these devices could be used to augment culinary experiences by releasing bursts of scent very close to the mouth and nose.
Treatment of asthma by inhaled drugs began in earnest in the 1950s, and now such 'topical' or targeted treatment with inhaled drugs is considered for treating many other lung diseases.*