A group of scientists from Stockholm University and the University of Malmo in Sweden have developed technology that adds the ability to smell in virtual reality. To demonstrate their development, scientists have created a VR wine tasting game where it is necessary to guess the fragrance of different drinks to obtain glasses.
In the course of the work, researchers have designed a compact device with four small fragrance fluids. Each one has valves that can be opened at different angles so that the fragrances can be mixed in different proportions. The design also includes a compact fan designed to deliver the finished fragrance into the tube at the top of the device, which the user must carry to the nose. A computer can be used to control the device.
The design was tested with a small VR game, where you have to guess the wine type by smell to get points. Researchers have put all the drawings, instructions, and program code into the public domain so that anyone can make a similar odour device. The parts of the device can be printed on a 3D printer.
According to researchers, the device they have designed can be used not only in games, but also, for example, to train tasting agents or perfumers, as well as to train the smell of people who have lost their sense of smell by having a coronavirus infection.