Now You Can Smell In VR Gaming World With Nosewise Odor Machine

The fact is that computer games have always centered on what we can see. They are just moving pictures on screens. Isn’t it? No additional senses have ever been a part of games. However, today, I am going to share a very interesting piece of information that a multidisciplinary research team from Stockholm University and Malmö University has created an odor machine that can be controlled by a gaming computer. It means that VR Gaming World has finally welcomed the sense of smell.

VR Gaming World Welcomes Sense Of Smell

The player of the game explores a VR world having a virtual wine cellar. He picks up virtual wine glasses filled with different wines and comments on their aromas. When the player lifts the glass, the little odor machine, which is connected to the VR system’s controller, emits a scent. Wow! That’s amazing.

Professor of psychology and leader of the research project at Stockholm University, Simon Niedenthal says:

“the ability to move on from a reactive to a more active sense of scent in the game environment paves the door for the development of totally new smell-based game mechanics depending on the players’ actions and judgments.”

Now, let’s discuss the scent machine design. It has four separate valves, each connected to a channel, which makes up the olfactometer. In addition to that, a fan in the center is attached that draws air into a tube as it rotates. The four channels have the ability to be opened to varying degrees and are supplied with various smell mixes by the player using the PC. Scent combinations can simulate the intricacy of a real wine glass.

Jonas Olofsson from Malmö University says:

“Players who already have sensitive noses may find the smell game challenging, similar to how a traditional computer game gets harder as you get better at it. Thus, wine tasters or perfumers can be instructed using the smell machine “

The point worth mentioning here is that the virtual wine-tasting game’s source code is publicly available online together with all of the machine’s schematics and operating instructions. Jonas Olofsson expects that the fact that the drawings and code are publicly accessible as “open source” will provide an opportunity to game developers to begin developing new, profitable products for smell training utilizing the new technology.

Simon Niedenthal further says that “open source” encourages accessibility, reproducibility, and comparison of research findings. In addition to that, it also helps to establish a strong research and design community inside the game development industry.

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