NU 2016-091

Inventors

Daniel Dombeck*

Brad Allen Radvansky

Short Description

An olfactory stimulus apparatus for a more immersive and realistic virtual reality experience

Background

Virtual reality (VR) is a rapidly growing area of technology that has great potential for a wide range of applications like entertainment, research, medicine, and education. However, current VR technologies either lack a 'smell' (or olfactory) component, or contain 'smell' delivery components that use only slowly varying cues (seconds to tens of seconds changes); these slow timescales are not sufficient to define each virtual location in space uniquely when the participant is walking or running through the environment. This limits the immersive experience of the end user.

Abstract

Northwestern researchers have developed an olfactory stimulation apparatus and algorithm that generates rapid (within 100 milliseconds) and accurate spatial delivery of various smell mixtures to a VR participant. The apparatus combines numerous air and odor control components (including a custom designed rapid air-odor mixing container) in a unique way that enables the delivery of odors on a timescale faster than humans breathe (the update time of the human olfactory system) and on a timescale approximately the same as rodent breathing. Moreover, the researchers developed an algorithm that improves the accuracy with which the olfactory cues are delivered in the virtual environment. The computer algorithm is designed to predict (based on current position and velocity) where the participant will be located in 100ms and updates the olfactory cues accordingly so that the correct odor cue is delivered and at the exact time the participant arrives at a specific location within the virtual environment. The technology is orders of magnitude faster than previous systems and provides superior synchronization between the virtual space and the olfactory cues for a more immersive user experience. The apparatus and algorithm have been successfully integrated with visual virtual reality screens and floating ball setup for rodent behavioral studies that require scent cues, such as providing particular scents at specific virtual locations.

Applications

• Addition of olfactory cues to animal virtual reality mazes
• Applicable to human VR experience

Advantages

• Precise delivery of scent based on participant's position in virtual reality
• Olfactory cue updating and delivery is 10-100 times faster than what is currently available
• Fast switching between multiple scents

Publications

Radvansky B and Dombeck D (2018) An olfactory virtual reality system for mice. Nature Communications. 9: 839.