
Ask HN: Why can't my phone smell? - hoompadoompa
Naive question,<p>why can&#x27;t my phone smell?<p>Elaborating further, the phone has many sensors of: location, altitude, pressure, visual input&#x2F;output, audio input&#x2F;output, etc.<p>Where is the nose?<p>If the phone could smell, wouldn&#x27;t that collect much deeper, more personal (meta)data about persons?<p>Are there any upcoming &#x27;Internet of Things&#x27; which has a nose?<p>Or, it&#x27;s just lower priorities compared to other data?<p>Thanks.
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jeffmould
In a roundabout way it can. There are adapters for a breathalyzer, carbon
monoxide, and I believe there is one that will detect toxic chemicals in the
air. I am by no means a scientist, but I think when it comes to "smell" in
terms of sensors, it is a lot harder to do. Each "smell" detection would
require a specific sensor, thus increasing the overall size, and cost, of the
device if they were to all be packed in. It is easier to market/sell the
sensors as adapters that can be connected to the phone.

