An Investigation of Olfactory Display Technology for the enhancement of Presence within Virtual Reality Experiences

McKelvey, Andrew

Abstract

This thesis examines the impact the inclusion of olfactory stimulus has on virtual reality (VR) for the enhancement of presence. To achieve this, a comprehensive review of past literature was undertaken. This review examines several relevant topics including the physiological process of perceiving scent, the concept of presence, and a discussion of past attempts to integrate olfactory stimulus with VR and visual media. This culminates in the presentation of a series of design heuristics for designing VR experiences that might implement olfaction.

These heuristics provide the foundation for a systematic review into olfactory display technology. The review included 34 studies and examined the technology used as well as the impact on the sense of presence. The investigation has shown that many devices are custom-made by researchers to fit the requirements of their studies. A major knowledge gap that was revealed from this review was the distinct lack of a detailed method in which the olfactory display device might receive its queue to release scent stimulus electronically from interactions within the VR environment.

A prototype olfactory display device is then presented. The proposed design drew on the most common methods found in the systematic review, with the aim of providing an accessible and low-cost method of creating an olfactory display device. The device was then evaluated against selected design heuristics to analyse functionality. It was also used to examine the impact that the inclusion of scent has on presence. This was explored through the use of items adapted from the Temple Presence Inventory (Lombard et al., 2009), a Think-Aloud protocol and series of open-ended questions. The device and its integration into the VR environment functioned as intended and appeared to afford a sense of presence in a small sample of participants. A discussion of the project successes, limitations and avenues for future research is then provided.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 21, 2023
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.17869/enu.2023.3175345
• Award Date: Jul 7, 2023