When early promotional materials appeared for Spy Kids 4: All The Time In The World, Robert Rodriguez’s film promised several new things: a fresh set of adorable spy-moppets, new parents in the form of Jessica Alba and Joel McHale, and the puzzling claim that it would one-up current trends by being presented in 4-D. Many wondered what that might mean, and whether it involved something like in-theater motion simulators, or something more innovative, such as Jessica Alba actually sitting with you as you watch the movie, and pointing out the moments where she abandoned the script because it wasn’t all that great, really.
But according to a press release, Rodriguez has something a little more low-tech in mind: Aromascope, a wipe-and-sniff card with eight separate scents “tied to the plot” that are activated by touch, and that Rodriguez believes “add a lot of extra laughs,” as he tells USA Today. In fact, he’s so impressed with Aromascope, he’s already hoping that it catches on and becomes the next big trend—similar to those recent reports that scientists are hard at work developing improved Smell-O-Vision technology for your televisions. Enjoy this brief, primitive limbo before the quest for total immersion in movies ends with you being picked up and tossed about by your seats, drenched in randomly sprayed fluids, and occasionally punched in the mouth.