philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Study Incorporates Smell into Virtual Reality

A new study by researchers at Northwestern University could help tech developers incorporate smell into virtual reality systems, adding a new wrinkle to technology that has, thus far, focused primarily on visuals and audio.

The mice were first introduced to a virtual environment created using both visual and olfactory cues. Researchers then shut off the visual virtual reality system, forcing the mice to navigate the room in total darkness based on smell cues alone.

Even after all visual cues were taken away, the mice were able to navigate around the room just as well as before. The study demonstrates for the first time that a mammal’s brain can form a map of its surroundings based solely on smells.

“It somewhat makes sense that you can navigate based on whatever cue is providing the most information,” Dombeck said, adding that when the lights go out, humans use nonvisual cues (such as touch and sound) in order to move around.

As for the study’s impact on virtual reality designed for humans, Dombeck said there are already companies trying to develop VR systems that involve smell, though “they don’t look like anything you would want to wear,” he said.

See the full story here: https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2018/03/05/sniff-test-study-incorporates-smell-virtual-reality