Scentopia - World First Spatial Oflaction Wearable
Introduction
Scentopia is a cutting-edge olfactory wearable interface that revolutionizes virtual reality (VR) and meditation experiences through personalized spatial olfaction with dynamic head tracking.
Its personalized Spatial Olfaction with dynamic head tracking gives you an immersive experience for virtual reality (VR) and meditation, with scents that surround you. Using watch-level motors and gear systems, along with gyroscope sensing, the released scent will rotate 360 degrees, creating a subtle and varied olfactory experience. The cap for dimensionalizing the scent can be customized in shape, which enhances its fashionable attributes.
Self-Driven Project
Keywords
Spatial Olfaction Computing
Olfactory Interfaces
My Skills
Olfactory interfaces research
Tangible prototype making
Electronic design (ESP32 S2 MINI)
Award
17th Annual International Design Awards (IDA): Silver;
Core77 Design Awards 2024 Student Notable Emerging Technologies Award;
Vision
We are entering an era of spatial computing. I hope Scentopia can integrate with wearable head-mounted devices like Apple Vision Pro. While VR headsets enhance people's visual experience and headphones enhance auditory experiences, Scentopia can enhance immersive experiences through spatial olfaction.
Inspiration
In recent years, we are entering an era of spatial computing. However, the challenge lies in enhancing human perceptual capabilities in spatial environments to create immersive atmospheres. While many researchers focus on enhancing sensory experiences in areas such as visual (e.g., 3D movies), auditory (e.g., spatial audio), and tactile (e.g., 4D movies), the field of olfaction, as a promising domain, is often underrepresented in the realm of immersive experiences. Sentopia introduces the concept of spatial olfaction computing and presents a wearable device that seamlessly integrates olfactory interfaces into a necklace.
Smell has the power to transport us across time and space. The presence of a scent source and its diffusion can be located in space (i.e., scented air volume) even if out of sight. Moreover, it has been shown that scents can convey meaning and complement visual information processing and decision-making (e.g., enabling cognitive shortcuts). Furthermore, scent delivery has been demonstrated to have a profound impact on cognitive, emotion-related responses to audio-visual stimuli and odors and it has the ability to assist in targeted memory reactivation. Imagine a scenario where you find yourself driving while fatigued, in desperate need of an invigorating scent to enhance alertness. Or during moments of restlessness, when a calming aroma can aid in meditation and restoring tranquility. Perhaps you are longing for someone or reminiscing about a particular experience, and a scent resembling that memory can help evoke recollection. Moreover, consider being fully immersed in a virtual reality (VR) game set in a serene forest, where the scent of the forest further enhances the sense of presence. As we know, the scents of a forest change as we move through it, varying with our proximity to odor sources. So they are complex and intermingled. However, this is where the significance of Scentopia comes into play. The main aim of Scentopia was to fabricate a technology that remains constantly present, subtly, and seamlessly providing convenience in various contexts to enhance the user's experience to a certain extent and bring them closer to achieving immersive experiences.
Scent Release
There are various mechanisms for olfactory release such as the use of a fan, and heat. However, using the ultrasonic humidifier module is the best way in this scenario from the perspective of safety and portability.
The base of Scentopia houses an enclosed piezoelectric transducer responsible for regulating scent dispersion. To induce vibration in the piezoelectric element, a 100KHz frequency and 10VAC (20Vpp) are required. An alternating current (AC) voltage causes the plate to oscillate at this frequency, generating ultrasonic sound waves. These ultrasonic frequencies are imperceptible to the user but possess the capability to atomize the liquid, breaking it into minute droplets resembling vapor. Consequently, the device effectively converts the fragrance or essential oil from the reservoir into a fine mist, swiftly diffusing the scent throughout the necklace's vicinity. The essence reservoir boasts a 5ml capacity, allowing for a continuous operation lasting up to 10 hours, with scent release intervals adjustable from 1 to 60 seconds. A default duty cycle frequency of 1 second of scent release every 60 seconds was selected to ensure ample time between bursts for the aroma to dissipate, thus preventing habituation and desensitization, with exceptions for scenarios involving the blending of different scents to create varied sensory experiences.
Spatial Computing
Scentopia achieves spatial olfaction through two primary mechanisms. Firstly, at the fundamental level, six emitters face different directions. By selecting emitters located in various positions, it can easily achieve the effect of scent entering the user's nasal passages from six distinct directions. The second aspect involves the six caps positioned at the top of Scentopia, which are capable of 360-degree rotation. The bottom of each cap is directly inserted into the center of one of the gears, and their rotation is controlled by miniature stepper motors of watch-grade precision. These motors have dimensions of approximately 8mm in diameter and 12.2mm in height and operate at 2-Phase 3 Wire DC 5V. The gears on the motors have nine teeth with a 0.2 module. To complement this gear, two additional gears, also with a 0.2 module, have 54 teeth and are 3D printed from resin. The gear ratio between the gears on the motors and the 3D-printed gears is 6:1. This means that when the motors complete one full rotation, the 3D-printed gears rotate 60 degrees, resulting in a 60-degree rotation of the caps. Therefore, when using the A4988 stepper motor driver at full micro step resolution, it allows precise control of the caps at six different angles. Furthermore, the rotation of the caps is controlled by a gyroscope (model: MPU 6050). Since Scentopia is worn around the neck and the central part is not parallel to the ground, calibration of the gyroscope is required. It's worth noting that because the rotation of the cap occurs in a 2D plane, only the X and Y values obtained from the gyroscope sensor are needed. When the head tilts forward, the cap rotates away from the person (downward), and when the head tilts to the left, the cap also rotates to the left, and vice versa.
Wireless Communication
To endow the necklace with communication capabilities to be remotely controlled, the microprocessor needs to have wireless communication ability. The microcontroller used in Scentopia is ESP32 S2 Mini, which has the feature of Wi-Fi communication. It is compact and energy-efficient. The entire system requires two 3.7V lithium batteries: one for powering the microcontroller and the other for supplying power to the ultrasonic humidifier module.
The current approach to control scent release is to use Scentopia in access point (AP) mode. Users connect to its generated Wi-Fi network and use a web browser (whether on laptops or phones) to access the control interface to select the desired scent. This user-initiated interaction provides users with greater flexibility. The other method of scent release is passive, where the scent is released based on changes in the video scene. This functionality in the project was achieved through Max/MSP-ESP32 S2 Mini communication. After each video segment is played in Max/MSP, it sends a signal to the ESP32 S2 Mini, thereby controlling the release of scent. Another way is to seek cooperation with VR headset product manufacturers to control the release of scents through VR headsets
Color, Material, Finish
The lower part of the product is made of skin-friendly TPE material, while the upper part uses glossy anodized aluminum alloy. The connectors are made of flexible silicone material. The color options are white and black. The upper part can feature co-branded designs with various patterns to enhance its aesthetic appeal.
Prototype
In terms of ergonomics, Scentopia was tested for its fit around the neck and upper chest areas. As shown in the side view, Scentopia conforms well to the human body's curvature. From the front view, it looks natural and unobtrusive when worn. The design of the connectors allows the product to be easily expanded before wearing it. Functionally, Scentopia was tested for its ability to connect to a smartphone via Wi-Fi and to select from six different gas types. (Due to time constraints and printing precision issues, the gear rotation mechanism has not yet been implemented.) Additionally, it was tested with Max/MSP to release specific gases based on particular scenes in a video. For example, when the video shows someone eating strawberries, the corresponding strawberry scent is released.
Scenario
Competitors
The first-generation OVR, like many products on the market, attaches directly to the VR headset. Its design is not easily adaptable to all VR devices and adds extra weight to the head. The second-generation OVR addresses this issue but lacks compatibility with VR headsets. The Aroma Shooter® Wearable 2 is the closest product to Scentopia, but it does not offer the same spatial olfaction effect with rotating emitters as Scentopia does.
Last updated Aug.8, 2024
