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Phoenix666 writes:

Though consumer virtual reality is still in its earliest days, VR's utility for influencing perception has been studied for years, and combining VR and scent has been explored, too, by both academics and companies. Li, who's working with working with Jeremy Bailenson, the founding director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab, thinks the combination of smell, touch, and VR could be used in a bunch of different ways in the future—some more dystopian-sounding than others.

Imagine a world where, say, salmon has become extinct. Maybe you could use a virtual piece of salmon sushi, a salmon-like smell, and a real chunk of some other fish in the middle of a hand roll to give people who've never tried it a sense for what it's like to eat salmon sushi. Or perhaps using scent along with virtual reality could help you eat a healthier diet without feeling that you're missing out. You might see and smell a juicy cheeseburger while actually chomping on a plant-based patty.

The possibilities are endless.

[Ed. Note: We held this story back because when it was submitted we had recently run another VR scent story. This one has a different aspect.]

Original Submission