Tanita: Japanese Tech Firm Unveils Handheld Smell Detector

July 3, 2018 – Written By Daniel Golightly Japan’s Tanita Co., Ltd. has released a new product called the ES-100 that can gauge how strongly a person smells in just a few seconds at the wave of a hand. The wand-shaped device folds neatly into a square when not in use and is said to work on the same premise as a breathalyzer. While the latter device analyzes particles of alcohol in a person’s breath, the Tanita ES-100 analyzes components typically found in sweat. A rating is provided on a digital scale located on the device between zero and ten. A lower rating means that fewer particulates have been measured. The process takes around ten seconds and taking a measurement is very straightforward. Buyers simply need to unfold the device and then wave it near or around the body part they’re trying to get a rating for. The device turns on and begins analysis automatically. Although the device is also relatively compact, measuring 94mm x 52mm x 25mm when folded and weighing in at just 60g, there are one or two caveats to the Tanita ES-100. To begin with, it is currently only available in Japan and costs are not being set by the manufacturer. Instead, it varies from retailer to retail with each setting its own price. What’s more, the tech inside the sensor can only take approximately 2,000 measurements before needing to be replaced. The company indicates that’s easy enough to accomplish but the pricing for replacement cartridges has… [Read full story]