Towards Efficient Odor Diffusion with an Olfactory Display Using an Electronic Nose

Abstract

AbstractOlfactory displays (human-computer interfaces that generate and diffuse odors to a user with a purpose) have been researched to complement or supplement other human sensory modalities, as well as using odors as effective sensory stimuli. We developed an olfactory display with a commonly-used microcontroller board and off-the-shelf components. A challenge in olfactory displays is diffusing the right odor concentration to a user. We developed and applied an electronic nose (e-nose) to determine if an intended odor is not lingering, otherwise our olfactory display will generate an excessive amount of odor. As a proof of concept, we developed a virtual environment that activates our olfactory display when a virtual lemon is visible on it, diffusing a lemon odor if the odor is not already present around the user, detected by our e-nose. Our informal prototype tests shown that it is feasible to use an e-nose to control the odor concentration generated by an olfactory display, thus avoiding an excess of odor that may produce a negative user experience. The Evolutionary Prototyping methodology was very useful for developing our olfactory display system and electronic nose.KeywordsOlfactory displayElectronic noseSmellOdorVirtual environmentMicrocontroller board