Does the “internet of things” smell?

Some may argue that some valuations given to IoT companies do, but more seriously some startups are actually tackling smell as a service, more formally known as olfaction. One such company is Aryballe, which today said it has raised €7 million ($7.89 million) in new funding to help build out its smell technology.

Founded in 2014, Aryballe is focused on developing digital olfaction smart sensors, devices that can detect smells in the air and provide data on what they are detecting. Digital olfaction mimics the process of which a human brain identifies and differentiates among odors by capturing odor signatures for display and analysis via software.

Aryballe technology combines biochemical sensors, advanced optics and machine learning in a single objective solution to collect, display and analyze odor data so companies can make informed decisions.

Olfaction technology has multiple uses across a variety of industries, from automotive, food and beverage to consumer appliances, personal care and cosmetics. The technology can be used to accelerate research and development projects, reduce maintenance costs and provide better customer experiences.

In one use case, electric vehicle manufacturers can use olfaction technology to provide another level of protection in predictive maintenance for electric systems. Although humans can smell burning electrical parts, Aryballe’s tech can detect issues with electrical parts well before a human could, providing alerts before any serious issues — for example, Tesla Inc. Model 3 batteries‘ problems before they suffer catastrophic failure.

In cars, the tech can also be used to provide analysis of quantitative standards for acceptable levels of odors in new cars, such as providing objective classification of the smell level of plastics and fabrics.

“We’re dedicated to helping our customers and partners solve meaningful industry problems through the use of smell,” Sam Guilaumé, chief executive office of Aryballe, said in a statement. “Our mission has always been to empower brands through the use of reliable, quality data and today, we’re seeing more companies using digital olfaction to design improvements in the customer experience and generate additional revenue.”

The Series B round included Samsung Ventures, Seb Alliance, INNOVACOM, CEMAG INVEST, Asahi Kasei and HCVC.

The new funding will be used to double the company’s current headcount across engineering and product positions and to provide more support the industrialization of its technology. The new round takes Aryballe’s total amount raised to €17 million ($19.16 million).

Photo: Anyballe