One can smell in virtual reality situations thanks to an olfactometer. The first is a “wine tasting game” in which the player smells wine in a virtual wine cellar and scores points for accurate fragrance predictions for each wine. Together, Stockholm University and Malmö University have created the novel technology that can be manufactured on 3D printers. Recent publication of the study in the International Journal of Human — Computer Studies was made possible by funding from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation.
Opinions
According to Stockholm University psychology professor and project leader Jonas Olofsson, “We anticipate that the new technology possibilities will lead to fragrances having a more significant part in game creation.
Computer games have always centred mostly on what we can see—moving pictures on screens. There haven’t been any additional senses. However, a fragrance machine that can be operated by a gaming computer has recently been built by an interdisciplinary research team from Stockholm University and Malmö University. In the game, the player navigates a virtual wine cellar, picking up virtual wine glasses filled with various wines and speculating on their scents. When the player lifts the glass, a little smell machine attached to the VR system’s controller releases a scent.
Facts
“The fragrance game can test players who already have a sensitive nose, much as how a typical computer game gets harder as you get skilled at it. The fragrance machine can therefore be used to instruct wine tasters or perfumers, “declaring Jonas Olofsson.
The virtual wine tasting game’s source code is also publicly available online, along with all of the machine’s schematics and operating instructions. The Sensory Cognitive Interaction Laboratory, a study team at Stockholm University’s Department of Psychology, is now hopeful that scented computer games can find value in other contexts.
Setting things up
According to study team leader Jonas Olofsson, “for those who, for example, lost their sense of smell during COVID-19 or for other reasons, the new technology can provide an opportunity to restore their sense of smell with the aid of game-based training.”
Doctors sometimes prescribe scent training to patients who lose their sense of smell as a result of colds and other infections, but according to Jonas Olofsson, many individuals stop because it gets dull.
Jonas Olofsson expresses his expectation that the fact that the drawings and code are publicly accessible as “open source” will present a chance for game developers to begin developing new, profitable products for smell training utilising the new technology.
Conclusion
Simon Niedenthal asserts that “open source” encourages accessibility, reproducibility, and comparison of research findings. Additionally, it helps to establish a strong research and design community inside the game development industry.
“However, it also means that the equipment’s prices are significantly lowered, making it more accessible to more individuals. That is significant to us, “Simon Niedenthal says.
