UK-based start-up Scentient aims to bring the sense of smell to life in virtual reality environments.
The company’s wearable Escents device is worn around the neck and integrates with a virtual reality headset. It holds four cartridges filled with synthetic scents that can imitate certain smells, which can be released at appropriate points within the virtual environment via an app.
While there is a long history of failed smell-based entertainment products, the company is looking beyond consumer applications. The company has conducted a trial with the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, incorporating smell into digital simulations as training for real-life scenarios. The company also envisages other potential use cases including interactive art exhibitions and helping to diagnose health conditions that affect the sense of smell such as Parkinson’s.
Adding smell to virtual experiences considerably increases the level of immersion and emotional impact for participants. “Smell is one of the three senses that really allows you to take in the environment around you,” says founder and CTO Ivan Novikov. “If you have a virtual environment with a campfire and you have the crackling sound, and you can see all around you, it’s the additional scent that really makes you feel like you’re there and not smelling your living room.”
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