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From: brucec%phoebus.labs.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Bruce Cohen;;50-662;LP=A;)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Smell Bank (was Re: Cheap Force Feedback for VR?)
Message-ID: <12153@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 1 Dec 90 23:43:47 GMT
References: <12079@milton.u.washington.edu>
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In article <12079@milton.u.washington.edu> almquist@cis.udel.edu (Squish) writes
:
> What else do we need for VR?  Sensory
> I/O - we got sight and sound what about taste? smell? touch?  Taste looks
> kind of complex - well, at least I wouldn't want to put some funny tube into
> my mouth with some guy standing over me saying, "Trust me (-:".  Smell doesn't
> appear to be TOO difficult (ie. a smell bank).

The design constraints for a smell bank aren't overwhelming, but the
complexity will cost a fair amount of mechanical parts and such, and the
compounds atored in the bank will need to be replaced every so often, so it
won't be cheap really soon.

Anyhow, constraints:

    1) smell is 7 dimensional (I've forgotten all the different axes,
       sorry), so you need seven odors in your bank.

    2) time constants in the olfactory system are fairly short, on the
       order of a second or two at a guess, so you need to be able to start
       and stop a particular scent rapidly, and when changing, clear the
       old scent out.  Sounds to me like a mask and some pumps.

    3) Odor can be *very* distracting, so you need a mask anyway, to make
       sure no one else has to smell things.  (Same problem as with voice
       input and output in open plan offices).

    4) Ability to detect some odors varies widely between individuals,
       though I don't know if the differences are as extreme as with taste,
       where the ability to taste some things may be completely lacking in
       people without the gene for tasting them.  Anyone know of any
       research in this area?
--
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