Is there a device that can capture scent?

Question

Cameras can capture images, recorders can capture sound, then what about scent? Have you ever missed that fresh garden scent from your junior school.. or the aroma of that delicious food you tasted in an exotic country.. or even that subtle body scent of your ex-girlfriend's??

Answer 1

there are devices that release scents,however ,devices that

can capture scents,Japanese scientists has developed a device that can transmit odors electronically ,they claim ,this system can record and replicate a broad range of scents by using chips with sensors that capture the molecular components of a particular fragrance, transmit this formula to a replicator, and reproduce the chemical compound, for 17 years they had  been working on the system

Answer 2

If you want to reliably record a scent, your best bet is a gas chromatograph.  A GC will not play back scents, however.

Answer 3

You don't just want to capture scent, you want to release it on demand, too. And presumably you want this to happen reliably with all scents. The problem is that there are thousands of scent molecules, that they only have to be present in tiny quantities, and that many scented compounds are very unstable. Cameras and recorders are making recordings. You are asking for something that captures the actual scent itself.

A device to do this reliably does not exist, though there are various items available that do some of what you want. Charcoal is good at absorbing scents, but poor at releasing them. Remember scratch and sniff books? They release scents on demand, but are loaded up with specific chemicals that can be reliably stored.