Promoting social interaction through emotional body odours

Project Information

POTION

Grant agreement ID: 824153

DOI

10.3030/824153

Project closed

EC signature date 23 October 2018

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 31 October 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Total cost

€ 6 560 150,00

EU contribution

€ 6 560 150,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DI PISA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - POTION (Promoting social interaction through emotional body odours)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The POTION project tackles the challenge of enhancing human social interaction by investigating the role of emotional chemosignals—particularly those linked to fear and happiness—and developing technologies to harness their effects. While visual and auditory cues are well-studied, the chemical dimension of social communication remains largely unexplored. POTION aims to fill this gap by uncovering how body odours influence social perception and behavior.
Understanding chemosensory modulation of behavior is especially relevant today, given rising social isolation, mental health issues, and the dominance of virtual communication. By leveraging this subtle but powerful channel, POTION seeks to develop tools that enhance emotional connectivity in both real and digital environments and explore new therapeutic options for conditions like social anxiety and depression.

The project’s main objectives are:
- Scientific: Identify and characterize the molecular composition of human emotional chemosignals.
- Technological: Create synthetic analogues and a closed-loop Potion Delivery System (PDS) that delivers odours in response to real-time physiological and behavioral signals.
- Computational: Develop models such as the Bayesian Social Interaction Model (BSIM) to simulate how chemosignals affect social behavior, especially in VR.
- Clinical and societal: Assess the therapeutic potential of synthetic chemosignals in clinical trials. Although results were mixed, they provided valuable insights and directions for refinement.
- Ethical and innovative: Ensure responsible development through continuous legal and ethical evaluation, particularly regarding privacy, AI, and medical use.

In summary, POTION has pioneered an interdisciplinary approach that merges science, technology, and ethics to redefine how olfaction can be used to support emotional wellbeing, social interaction, and future applications in healthcare and human-computer interaction.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The POTION project has made substantial progress, overcoming early challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving important scientific, technological, and clinical milestones.

In its initial phase, the consortium developed advanced analytical protocols and collected sweat samples from emotionally stimulated donors (fear and happiness), using both traditional pads and novel real-time sampling systems. The discovery that cellulose pads release interfering volatiles led to the adoption of HiSorb probes, significantly improving chemosignal detection in dynamic settings like virtual reality (VR).
Concurrently, the project introduced the Bayesian Social Interaction Model (BSIM) to predict social behaviors modulated by chemosignals. This was tested in immersive VR experiments such as Cyberball, revealing how fear odours influence prosocial or conforming responses.
A key achievement was the creation of the Potion Delivery System (PDS)—a closed-loop, real-time olfactory stimulation platform integrated with physiological monitoring. The PDS was successfully deployed in both experimental and clinical settings.
Clinically, the project conducted a pilot study and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess synthetic chemosignals as adjuncts to mindfulness therapy for social anxiety. While the pilot showed modest effects, the RCT found no consistent therapeutic advantage, underscoring the need to refine synthetic compounds.
On the exploitation side, POTION led to the development and patenting of the SELECT platform for isolating volatile compounds, and the creation of Metitech SRL, a spin-off focused on technology transfer and commercialization.
Dissemination included numerous scientific publications, conference presentations, media outreach, and an active online presence. Ethical and legal frameworks were continuously updated in compliance with GDPR, the AI Act, and Medical Device Regulation.

In summary, POTION has fulfilled its main objectives and laid the groundwork for future applications in mental health, affective computing, and human-robot interaction, establishing a new paradigm for olfactory-based emotional technologies.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Throughout its implementation, the POTION project has significantly advanced knowledge and technology in the fields of human chemosignals, emotional communication, and olfactory-based systems. Starting from early experimental approaches, POTION has delivered scientific breakthroughs, validated prototypes, and a multidisciplinary framework integrating chemistry, neuroscience, psychophysiology, clinical science, engineering, and ethics.

Progress beyond the state of the art
- Chemical discovery: Identified hundreds of previously undetected volatile compounds released during emotional states, expanding the known human volatilome and identifying key candidates linked to fear and happiness.
- Sampling innovation: Introduced HiSorb probes and real-time PTR-TOFMS analysis, overcoming limitations of traditional pads and enabling more accurate and dynamic VOC monitoring.
- Modelling: Developed the Bayesian Social Interaction Model (BSIM) and used Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to model how chemosignals affect behaviour and autonomic responses.
- Technological innovation: Built the closed-loop Potion Delivery System (PDS), able to adapt odour delivery in real time based on physiological and behavioural data.
- Clinical insight: While synthetic odours didn’t show strong clinical effects in RCTs, valuable insights emerged on the greater impact of natural chemosignals, guiding future applications.

Expected results until project closure
- Full deployment of the closed-loop PDS integrated with wearable systems.
- Completion of Cyberball VR data analysis to refine behavioural models and explore applications in affective computing and robotics.
- Exploitation strategy consolidated through Metitech SRL, targeting industrial and clinical markets.
- Dissemination through high-impact publications and completion of ethics and legal frameworks specific to olfactory and AI technologies.

Socio-economic and societal impact
- Healthcare: Laid the groundwork for novel, non-invasive tools to support mental health, especially in social anxiety and depression.
- Human-computer interaction: Introduced new modalities for affective computing using chemosensory cues in VR, robotics, and wearable tech.
- Industry: Enabled marketable solutions such as SELECT and the PDS, with potential in wellness, safety, and personalized environments.
- Ethics: Addressed crucial issues in user privacy, affective AI, and medical compliance, setting a reference for responsible innovation.

Wider implications
POTION has redefined the role of olfaction in social behavior, showing that emotions can be transmitted and modulated through scent. This opens new possibilities for enhancing social connectedness—especially in increasingly digital environments—and elevates public awareness of the social power of smell, often underestimated but now proven to be deeply linked to emotion and cognition.

Logo of the project