Taking its name from the Japanese word for ‘sniff’, Kunkun Body is a pocket-sized device that allows people to self-test their sweat in four locations – near the head, behind the ear, under the armpit and around the feet – for three categories of smell.
The app connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app that sends you the results, warning if “immediately care is needed.”
Camera company Konica Minolta developed the app to alert workers to what the Japanese call ‘sumehara’ or ‘smell harassment’ – when people annoy their colleagues with their body odour, The Guardian reports.
No need to sweat it out
Their studies showed that body odour was the number one problem in the workplace, but there were no smell-detecting devices on the market. At the same time, people found it difficult to tell their colleagues that they had BO (been there before!)
The device is now selling for 30,000 yen (US$265) as part of a crowdfunding campaign ahead of its release later this year.
Sadly there are currently no plans to sell it outside of Japan. It’s a shame – they sound perfect for summer on Sydney’s public transport.
