[Eric] Holbrook, who is collaborating with the VCU team, is now trying to find a shortcut to stimulate the brain's olfactory bulb and then trigger a sensation of smell. Ultimately the researchers plan to create a device that will operate somewhat like a cochlear implant, an electronic device that partially restores hearing.

— A team from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School are trying to build a device that would restore olfaction. Read more at Building a Brain Implant for Smell at Scientific American.