There is exciting news for people who have lost their sense of smell. Scientists have created a new device that helps individuals detect certain smells by turning odor signals into physical sensations inside the nose. This breakthrough could one day help millions of people who can no longer smell.
Losing the sense of smell, known as anosmia or hyposmia, affects around 20% of people worldwide. It can occur due to infections, medications, injuries, or other causes, and the loss may be temporary or permanent. Unlike hearing or vision loss—where devices like hearing aids or eye implants exist—there has never been a working device to restore the sense of smell until now.
The researchers behind this invention published their study in the journal *Science Advances*. They designed a system that uses an artificial nose, also called an e-nose, to detect smells. The e-nose captures the chemical makeup of a scent and converts it into a digital signal or code. This code is then sent into the nose using a small electrical device.
Shaped like a magnetic clip, the device is placed on the septum, the wall between the nostrils. It stimulates a nerve in the nose called the trigeminal nerve using gentle electrical pulses. When the nerve is stimulated, people feel a unique sensation inside their nose. While they are not actually smelling the odor, their brain learns to associate this feeling with a specific smell. This method allows them to differentiate between smells using touch-like sensations.
This approach is based on a concept known as sensory substitution. Sensory substitution means that when one sense—like smell—doesn’t work, another sense—such as touch—takes over to carry the information. Inside the nose, there are two sensory systems: the olfactory system, responsible for smell, and the trigeminal system, which senses touch, temperature, and irritation. Since the olfactory system doesn’t function properly in some people, this new device uses the trigeminal system to transmit information instead.
The researchers emphasize that people using this device will not smell real odors in the usual way. However, it is the first working tool that can help people with smell loss detect and identify smells through a different sense.
To test their idea, the scientists conducted four experiments involving 65 participants. Thirteen had normal smell ability, while 52 had lost their sense of smell. All participants could sense when an odor was present using the device, and most were able to distinguish between two different smells. Remarkably, the device worked just as well for people with no sense of smell as it did for those with normal olfactory function, demonstrating that the trigeminal nerve is functional in nearly everyone.
While this research is still in its early stages, scientists hope to expand the number of smells the device can recognize and improve the technology, making it smaller, wearable, and easier to use every day.
This invention offers new hope for people with smell loss, a condition that previously had very few treatment options.
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For more details, please refer to the study published in *Science Advances*.
https://knowridge.com/2025/11/new-device-lets-people-with-smell-loss-feel-odors-inside-the-nose/