Olfactory Display

An olfactory display is a hardware system that delivers controlled scent stimuli to a user, typically as part of a virtual reality, augmented reality, or multisensory interaction system. Designs range from desk-mounted vapour generators to head-mounted, hand-held, and neck-worn wearables, and use scent cartridges, absorbent pads, ultrasonic atomisers, or piezoelectric jets together with fans or pumps to project odors near the user’s nose. Key engineering challenges include precise timing, intensity control, cross-contamination between scents, lingering odor in the room, and sensory adaptation in the user. In accessibility contexts, olfactory displays are explored as a non-visual, non-auditory channel for atmosphere, wayfinding cues, and emotional resonance — for example in museum, heritage, and therapeutic VR.