The Future of Social Media: Could we Ever See and Smell our Tweets?

As Twitter continues to be steadily used by journalists and businesses around the world, a futuristic system could make the social media tool even more popular. Known as 'Sensabubble,' we could one day be able to see and smell our twitter notifications.

"The human sense of smell is powerful, but there are few research systems that explore and examine ways to use it," said Sriram Subramanian, professor of human-computer Interaction in the University of Bristol Interaction and Graphics group, via a press release.

According to CNET, this system actually allows text, colors and icons to be projected through bubbles that are filled with a scented fog. "We have taken the first steps to explore how smell can be used to enhance and last longer in a visual object such as a soap bubble," Subramanian added, via the news organization.

For a Sensabubble user, once they receive a Twitter notification, a predetermined soap bubble would be sent and projected via the Twitter icon in its surface. Though the news organization notes that it may not be the most portable device, its use doesn't just stop at social media.

"There are many areas in which bubble-based technology like SensaBubble could be applied, such as a SensaBubble clock that releases the number of scented bubbles corresponding to the hour or SensaBubble Maths, an educational game for children, which incorporates smell as feedback on their success," researchers said.

Researchers will present information on Sensabbuble at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems beginning Saturday in Toronto.

Want to learn more about Sensabubble? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.