As PlayStation sales falter Sony has a bold new plan that involves sniffing machines to measure your health.

It appears that Sony is now getting into the smell business in an effort to alert consumers to the possibility of Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s.

The Japanese PlayStation manufacturer claim they have plans to sell an early warning machine that quickly measures an individual’s sense of smell which according to Sony is a means by which dementia problems can be detected.

Costing $23K a machine, Osamu Hajimoto, deputy president of new business and technology development at Sony claims “We hope the new technology will help enhance people’s healthy life,”.

In a study that followed almost 3,000 older people with normal cognition, researchers found that a simple smell test was able to identify those at higher risk of dementia.

Currently a new Alzheimer’s drug is causing a “buzz” around the globe with medical experts earlier this week tipping the arrival of the new drug in Australia next year.

Third-phase clinical trials of the drug Lecanemab have shown the drug clears plaques believed to cause Alzheimer’s disease and slows down the rate of cognitive decline by 27 per cent.

The drug is now being trialled on people with amyloid plaques but who do not yet have any symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The olfactory device unveiled yesterday by Sony also goes on sale next year, initially for research purposes. It’s not known whether pharmacists and medical practises will buy the machine and then charge patients to use it.

Olfactory tests are less common than vision and hearing screenings as they generally involve preparing the odorants as well as a dedicated room or deodorant device.

Sony’s machine features a system dubbed Tensor Valve that easily controls odorants and seals in strong scents. Aromas in the device can be eliminated quickly as well. Smell screenings would take as little as five to 10 minutes. Sony plans to provide the results on a scale of one to eight.

People tend to exhibit a decline in their sense of smell before developing dementia or Parkinson’s disease, according to Sony. An accurate olfactory test could provide early detection of a decline in neurological functions, the company said.

Sony could also look into the machine’s applications in the entertainment field, Hajimoto said.