14 International Journal of Technology Diffusion, 2(3), 14-23, July-September 2011 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Keywords: Multi-Sensory Systems, Multimedia Systems, Odor Sensing System, Olfaction, Smell Detection 1. INTRODUCTION The Multimedia systems are widely defined as Multi Sensory systems that convey information about the current state of the real world envi- ronment by congregating signals from several receptors in the ears, eyes, and other sense organs. The signals from one side of the body are sent through nerve fibers to the cerebral cortex on the opposite side of the brain, where they are perceived and interpreted in terms of our previous experiences, knowledge, and expectations. The five well known physiologi- cal systems that lie at the core of the human perceptual experience are Olfactory (smell), tactile (touch), visual (sight), auditory (sound), and perception of flavor (taste). Nonetheless, extensive research has been carried out to develop multimedia systems that can capture, store and reproduce sound and video with high quality (Paeda et al., 2008; Pfeiffer, Lienhart, & Efflsberg, 2001). However, there are the other three senses, smell, touch and taste that received less attention within the multimedia research area. These senses, in addition to sight and sound, can recreate an environment similar to the real world environment in particular the smell sense. This is because amongst the three other senses the smell is the only sense that can be perceived from a long distance. ANN Based Approach to Integrate Smell Sense in Multimedia Systems Yousif Al-Bastaki, University of Bahrain, Bahrain Khalid Al-Mutawah, University of Bahrain, Bahrain ABSTRACT Despite the wide usage of multimedia in several applications, research in the feld of olfaction is immature in helping humans work and communicate through multi-sensory interfaces, including smell. There is no consistent method of testing user capability of smell. Therefore, smell detection and generation systems are not well integrated into today’s multimedia systems. In this paper, the authors propose an odor sensing system with the capability of the discrimination among closely similar 20 different odor patterns and propose an on-line classifcation method using a handheld odor meter (OMX-GR sensor) and neural network that can be used in different multimedia applications. The proposed system is integrated to enhance the functionality of an online multimedia shopping system that is capable of selling products with visual and auditory senses. DOI: 10.4018/jtd.2011070102