The way Osmo’s digitization process works is that the researchers trap and concentrate a physical scent emitted from a source (a stinky sneaker, say, or a rose, or a freshly-cut plum) in the form of volatile molecules. The researchers then analyse the scent sample to figure out the exact type of molecules involved, and the proportions of each type of molecule found in that air sample. They send that information, which is essentially the chemical formula for that little pocket of air, to a printer equipped with all the molecules or similar-smelling ones, and recreate the exact chemistry that was found in the original scent.
— Read more in Digital smell has arrived. Are we ready for Stinkygram? at Salon.