Want To Smell in Virtual Reality? A Burlington-Based Startup Has The Technology
“What we wanted to do was, as accurately as possible, recreate how we experience smell in the real world in the virtual world"
March 15, 2022
Mikaela LeFrak
WBUR
The Virtual reality market is growing and now smell is being introduced to VR. The Burlington company OVR is a tech startup that's developing the technology to do this. The small black cartridge straps onto any virtual reality headset and delivers the scent. Positive scents can help people find a sense of calm.
“OVR Technology is working on a program called Inhale, in which users explore a beach or forest in virtual reality while inhaling calming, nature-based scents and listening to a guided meditation.” Inhale is being used in River Rock Treatment facility in Burlington as well as other detox clinics for people in addiction recovery. They are also developing malodors for training simulations for soldiers or first responders.
"When it does happen in real life, we have the kind of muscle memory to react appropriately," Wisniewski said of this training model. "We also have that kind of emotional and psychological memory, so we're not overwhelmed by it.” OVR hopes to one day be as commonplace as smartphones.
