Mason ManettaThe Smell Engine A system for artificial odor synthesis in virtual environments
by Alireza Bahremand, Mason Manetta, Jessica Lai, Richard Gerkin, Christy Spackman, Brian Smith, Robert LiKamWa, Byron Lahey
Abstract
We seek to mimic these experiences in virtual spaces, presenting users with a real-time odor synthesis that approximates what users would smell in a virtual environment, e.g., as they walk around in virtual reality. To this end, we devise a Smell Engine that includes: (i) a Smell Composer framework that allows developers to configure odor sources in virtual space, (ii) a Smell Mixer that dynamically estimates the odor mix that the user would smell, based on diffusion models and relative odor source distances, and (iii) a Smell Controller that coordinates an olfactometer to physically present an approximation of the odor mix to the user's mask from a set of odorants channeled through controllable flow valves. Our evaluation finds that the granular mixing capabilities of the Smell Engine can improve a user’s ability to precisely localize odors in the virtual environment, as compared to existing trigger-based solutions.
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