Abstract:
Olfactory interfaces offer new opportunities to enhance physical and digital environments, provoking memories and increasing immersion. Perception of smell is generally considered slow and imprecise, challenging designers in controlling and adapting scented environments. To better coordinate inhalation and scent dispersal, we explore the opportunities offered through breathing patterns which can be accurately sensed by the latest generation of smartwatches. Our respiratory-controlled, multi-scent olfactory interface can rapidly disperse different scents in proximity to the wearer. We use this design to study scent identification with both undirected and directed breathing, comparing accuracy of identification across breathing frequencies. Correlation between breathing frequency and accuracy of scent identifications is consistent with a speed/accuracy trade-off. Our findings provide insights on the speed at which new scents may be identified in a multi-sensory environment, suggesting methods for integrating olfaction and respiratory control as sensory modalities within interactive applications.
The full paper is in the process of being submitted for conference. A link to the proceedings will be added here at a later date.
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