Made by a team of Stockholm and Malmö University researchers, the device makes it possible to smell in VR environments and a “wine tasting game” has been developed to test it out.
The game sees the user smell wine in a virtual wine cellar and get points if they correctly guess the different aromas in each wine.
In the game, the participant moves in a virtual wine cellar, picking up virtual wine glasses containing different types of wine, guessing the aromas. The small scent machine is attached to the VR system’s controller, and when the player lifts the glass, it releases a scent.
“We hope that the new technical possibilities will lead to scents having a more important role in game development,” said Jonas Olofsson, professor of psychology and leader of the research project.
The olfactometer, which can be 3D-printed, consists of four different valves each connected to a channel with a fan in the middle which sucks air into a tube.
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