A camera’s ability to record smells will greatly enhance the coming realism of the virtual presence experience. Being able to smell the flowers or the ocean breeze as you suddenly find yourself surrounded by an unspoiled tropical beach will go that much further in convincing your brain that you are actually there. The more senses involved in the experience the closer it gets to accurately duplicating what we experience in the real world. Samsung along with several other companies are working on sensors capable of capturing both smell and taste. Of course, the other half of this equation would be the playback device that recreates the smell and taste so it can be transferred out of the HMD to the user’s nose and mouth. But that too has already been developed.
In 2015, UK cheese brand Boursin created a VR experience to sell soft cheese. That same year Nescafe partnered with Google to take users on a virtual trip to coffee fields in Brazil. In 2017, KFC released a VR training video to teach employees how to fry chicken. Project Nourished, a VR food start-up, has been experimenting with technology to trick taste buds and promote sustainability. Imagine, for example, tasting a steak not made from a cow. The progress of its project remains under wraps.
Imagine being able to taste a particular dish first before heading out to that new restaurant. Or how about the irresistible early morning smells coming from your favorite bakery that prompts you to have fresh pastry delivered in time for your morning coffee. It’s all coming sooner than you think and the world will never be the same.
