Published May 21, 2021 - Lifewire
Sascha Brodsky
Why Smell Could Be the Future of VR
“Scents are crucial to experiencing the world, cultural analyst Margaret J. King said in an email interview. Smell enhances memory because it’s part of the brainstem involved in survival, bypassing other brain centers that deal with rational cognition.”
"The closer our virtual experiences are to our real ones, the more effective they are," Aaron Wisniewksi, CEO of OVR Technology, which makes the gear that produces the smell for the exhibit, said in an email interview. "We generally refer to that feeling—when the virtual world feels real—as presence. In order to maximize presence, we wanted to first understand where that feeling comes from in our everyday lives."
Scents, when applied to VR technology, have a wide range of immersive applications such as entertainment, education, mindfulness, etc. This is because smells can evoke memories and send messages to our brains that give context to what we are experiencing - meaning that when we add scent simulation to VR, those VR experiences feel more real. In 2021 OVR Technology used scent simulation to create an “immersive virtual journey” called “Shifting Homes” to show the catastrophic impact that climate change, and resulting rising sea levels, could have on Samoa. This is just one of many ways that OVR Technology applies olfactory simulation to VR. They also offer VR experiences geared towards relaxation and wellness.
To read the full article on scent simulation in VR and OVR Technology, click the link here.