Scent for Films and Video Games

The start-up Zestum aims to establish scent as a new medium in the digital world — alongside image and sound. By combining AI-based software with compact hardware, the team has developed a system that releases scents matching what appears on screen. A Kickstarter campaign has now been launched to finance the first product line. Zestum is part of our Game Starter Foundry incubator program and supported by the EXIST – From Science to Business program and the Gateway start-up initiative of TH Köln.

“Our goal is to make scent as tangible, experiential, and usable as visual or auditory stimuli,” explains founder Salomo Bertram. To achieve this, the team developed software that uses artificial intelligence to analyze screen content in real time. “Our AI recognizes objects and scenarios on the screen — such as forests, flower fields, or fire — and classifies them accordingly,” says Bertram. Within less than 500 milliseconds, a signal is sent to the hardware device, which releases the matching scent. Since normal breathing occurs every three to four seconds, the result is an authentic sensory experience.

(Image: Thilo Schmülgen / TH Köln)

Pellets release scents

The hardware device, called Scentbar, works with so-called pods filled with specially produced scent pellets. These pellets consist of a mixture of perfume, oils, and essential additives. Initially, the founders plan to offer three scent series: Nature (forest, rain, grass), Motorsports (gasoline, burnt rubber, asphalt), and Action (smoke, concrete dust, gunpowder). The range is expected to expand in the future.

Fans inside the Scentbar create a gentle airflow that passes over the pellets, carrying the scents to the user. This approach mimics how smells are perceived in real life, where they are transported through the air, and differs from atomization or spray-based systems. “The scent blends we use remain in the air without settling into clothing or furniture. After ventilation, the nearly natural scent experience disappears immediately,” Bertram explains. The substances used comply with the standards of the International Fragrance Association and are therefore considered safe for humans and pets.

Compatibility and future outlook

At launch, the system focuses on PC users. Under Windows, it is compatible with common applications such as video games, YouTube, and streaming platforms. “Our software runs locally and uses the computer’s resources rather than the cloud, keeping the system affordable and easy to use for customers,” says Bertram. In the future, the team plans to expand compatibility to game consoles and television devices.

With the Kickstarter campaign launched on March 10, the team aims to fund the production of the first hardware series while actively involving the community in further development. In the long term, Zestum sees strong potential in research and development: the goal is to make scents dynamically mixable in the future — similar to how RGB colors are combined in digital images today.

About the project

Zestum was founded by Salomo Bertram, Samuel Wiebe, Jasmin Blekic, and Levin Vonester, who studied fields such as industrial engineering, electrical engineering, communication design, and aerospace engineering at TH Köln and FH Aachen.

The start-up is funded through the EXIST – From Science to Business program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Union. The Gateway start-up initiative at TH Köln supports the team with its network, consulting on financing and the EXIST application, as well as access to co-working space. The project is academically supported by Prof. Dr. Monika Engelen and Prof. Dr. Nicolas Pyschny from the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering Sciences at TH Köln.