Korea predicts smell over IP by 2015

The world of 'smellyvision' might not be as far away as we thought, according to a survey of 3,500 Korean researchers.

By 2015, the Ministry of Information and Communication in Korea said to the Korean Times that it should be possible to transmit smells through broadband pipelines.

In seconds, smells could be sent across the world digitally allowing users to experience new perfumes and atmospheres first hand.

Ryoo Pill-gye, a ministry director general explained the process of digitalising perfume to The Korea Times today.

"Its scent will be digitalised as numerous ones and zeros strung together before travelling through the internet to the computers of end users," Mr Ryoo said.

"Then, a dedicated cartridge incorporated into the computers will translate the numeric data to revive the perfume at any time and at any place."

Further developments highlighted by the survey included automated robot surgeons and mobile telephone batteries that could last up to two months.