May 10, 2023 12:00:00

A wearable device that allows you to enjoy the scent of flowers and food in virtual reality

Research teams in China and Hong Kong have developed a small wearable VR device that can be worn on the face to smell flowers and foods such as rosemary, mint, pancakes and durian. As a result, it is expected that innovative VR games and

4D movies , as well as the treatment of memory disorders by applying the strong stimulation of memory by smell, will be realized.

Soft, miniaturized, wireless olfactory interface for virtual reality | Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37678-4

The following is a wearable olfactory wireless interface published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. By wearing it under the nose, two types of scents are emitted from two 'odor generators (OG)'.

A mask type with 9 OGs was also developed.

It's not the first scent-generating wearable device, but many of the previous ones have required heavy scented bottles to be attached or heavy-duty headsets to be wired, making them impractical. . On the other hand, the one developed by the research team this time is lightweight, flexible, and works wirelessly, greatly improving the comfort of the wearer.

The OG set in the device contains perfumed paraffin wax, and when heated, it emits a scent.

When heated, the scent is generated in just 1.44 seconds, so it is possible to flexibly generate various scents. In addition, since the strength of the scent can be changed according to the temperature at which it is heated, we were able to reproduce a scene in which the scent gradually increases as the flowers are brought closer to the face in the VR space.

The research team tested the device on 11 volunteers and found a total of 30 scents, including fruits such as pineapple, grape, lemon, strawberry and durian, beverages such as green tea, milk and coffee milk, and foods such as pancakes and white rice. I have proven that I can do it.

In addition to introducing the concept of scent into content such as VR games and movies, this device can be used to train people to control their emotions and to help amnesiacs regain their memories, as scents can stimulate specific emotions and memories. It can also be applied to the treatment of

The research team also proposes uses in the field of education, such as virtual botany classes.