ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a wearable biofeedback intervention that delivers a localized “scent bubble” diffused in response to a sudden change of mood. The research is informed by the author’s lived experience of bipolar affective disorder. It builds on earlier arts and humanities projects leading to transformative wearable technology that releases the appropriate “bio-synchronized” fragrance in response to different emotional triggers. eScent is an emotionally responsive, data-driven, liquid-dispense platform for connected clothing and jewelry, offering “personalized scent” as a self-delivery intervention for mental distress. Using machine learning and data to personalize treatment and care, the idea is that well-being fragrances (or other liquids) can be delivered once an artificial intelligence system has detected an increase in stress or change in environment. Wearable applications could lead to metered-dosed therapeutic scent dispersal to complement talking therapies, mindfulness meditation, or prodromal interventions for mood disorders, or as an internasal microdosing delivery system for psychedelic medicine. Closure of the loop of wearable scent delivery systems requires a transdisciplinary, creative, and collaborative approach, crossing many disciplines in neuroscience, olfaction, fragrances, psychological-related sciences, computer science, biotechnology, liquid engineering, fashion, and industrial and sensory design principles.
