The Real-Life Benefits of Augmenting the Metaverse With Scents
“I see a future where the sense of smell and virtual reality can combine to create not only entertainment, but opportunities for commerce.”
July 1, 2022
Iris McCloughan
The Slowdown
“While many existing VR systems focus on the sense of sight, the Burlington, Vermont-based firm OVR Technology zeroes in on a different sense: smell.
By developing integrated hardware, software, and specially designed aromatic cartridges called scentware for its headsets—original devices that operate over Bluetooth and produce nano-particles of scent that can activate in milliseconds—OVR’s team of scientists, engineers, scent designers, technologists, and entrepreneurs seeks to unlock the potential of smell to augment VR experiences. The company often works on efforts related to VR training—using the technology to enhance instruction of roles, particularly those in high-risk industries such as defense, aviation, and fire—and has even developed its own VR wellness experience, a fusion of breathwork, meditation, nature, and scent designed to ease the body and mind. The scents OVR creates run the gamut, including garbage, diesel fuel, blood, dirt, sandy beaches, and woody forests.”
