Published June 29, 2021 - Engineering.com
Jacob Bourne
Scent in VR: Does a Virtual Rose Smell Just as Sweet?
“The booming virtual reality industry primarily relies on sight, sound and movement to recreate real-world impressions, yet most VR technologies fail to integrate the most primal mode of experiencing the world: the sense of smell.”
“Compatible with many head-mounted display units such as Oculus and VIVE, and controlled via Wi-Fi or USB, ION uses the Architecture of Scent framework to translate VR movements and inputs into a scent output in real-time, causing a 0.1-millisecond burst of scent that can morph into a different scent within 20 milliseconds.”
OVR Technology’s Architecture of Scent uses sophisticated mechanics throughout its hardware, software, and scentware to create scent simulations for virtual reality. “OVR’s hardware, called ION, consists of a novel piezoelectric atomization technology that outputs scent molecules with a quick response time” and is connected to a VR headset and corresponding software. This powerhouse trio has an array of applications, ranging from training for dangerous jobs to a tool in digital therapeutics.