What it does
Designed for Industry 5.0 and the rapid growth of smart home products, while utilising the proust phenomenon of memory recall through aroma. Using a digital nose alongside AI to determine smells and replicate them within a working system for memory recall.
Your inspiration
Last year I was given a memoir box by my late Grandparents, which contained images and memorabilia of my family from the past 60 years. I remember looking through images that captured specific times, moments and people. Each memorabilia had a distinct smell, almost like a library of aromas - it was indescribable. This lead me to inquire more into the sensory links with memory, and how this same feeling could be replicated. Ive always been driven by technology and I wanted to produce a product that had the ability to think beyond memory within a medical application, something that was inclusive, accessible and sustainable for future purpose.
How it works
Two devices work within a system to allow for memory recall through aroma. The OS01 plugs into the bottom of the users phone; when users use the Mementos app to take pictures / videos it powers a raspberry pi connected to a BME sensor to detect gas changes / pressures and temperature changes, digitally sniffing the surrounding area and collecting data. This data is then fed into an AI that understands the changes of the gasses and calculates what smell is being 'sniffed'. The data is then sent to a perfumer, where the users captured smells are produced into aroma vials. These vials are then sent to the user who inserts them into the top of HUB01. HUB01 then uses a drip feeder to extract the users smell memories from the vials, expelling them from the front of the device via an atomizer circuit. While expelling the smells, videos and pictures of the users memories are shown via the touch screen display. All function on HUB0 are controlled by a raspberry pi.
Design process
My process began by researching the relationship between memory and smell through philosophy, psychology, and science—drawing from theorists such as Marcel Proust, Henri Bergson, and Don Norman. I identified a gap in inclusive smell-memory products, which are often limited to medical contexts like dementia care. This allowed me to develop a brief in which my aim was to create an emotionally resonant products for the contemporary home. Through experimentation i tested analogue methods like headspace capture and wax melts, and digital tools such as AI model training, e-nose tech, NFC, haptics, and AR/VR. I chose a hybrid approach combining perfumery, AI, and a the digital nose. This led to my ‘Future Driven Emotional-Centred Industry 5.0’ (FDECI5.0) methodology; blending Futures Thinking, Human-Centred Design, Ontology, and Emotional Design. I explored user scenarios through storyboarding, then developed sketches, CAD work, foam and card prototypes, plus a new sustainable casting material. Through design iterations, user testing and application of my methodology, I refined the design and built the final product through casting using silicone moulds, coding, and finishing the material.
How it is different
Breaking from medical‑only memory products, this is the first smart‑home device that records, stores and replays personal aromas. Utilising a Raspberry‑Pi e‑nose, AI scent‑matching and bespoke perfumery in a recyclable, made‑to‑order model for memories. The design allow future upgrades with any IoT modules, guided by my FDECI5.0 framework, it offers an inclusive, emotional interface and sets a new olfactory experiences beyond purely analogue capture. They are the first prototypes designed for the smart home market that utilises smell memory as an application for the inclusive user. Working within its own system, the scent memory can be manufactured specifically for the user unlike existing products. This design helps to create a more emotional experience with our smart home products that is currently lacking within the market.
Future plans
I’m working with aroma scientists and electronics engineers to develop custom PCBs, reducing reliance on Raspberry Pi and improving efficiency and functionality. Future plans include refining the AI scent-matching system for greater personalisation, expanding into more mobile and IoT platforms, and enabling decentralised manufacture of the design. I’m also continuing material development to offer a sustainable alternative to Jesmonite. The long-term vision is to create an inclusive, emotional tech ecosystem that brings olfactory memory products into the modern smart home, aligned with Industry 5.0 principles of ethical, human-centred design.
Awards
I am taking the products to New Designers in London, UK this year.
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