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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
Sensory Modalities01:15

Sensory Modalities

Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

An Open-Source Virtual Reality System for the Measurement of Spatial Learning in Head-Restrained Mice
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An Open-Source Virtual Reality System for the Measurement of Spatial Learning in Head-Restrained Mice

Published on: March 3, 2023

Enhancing Multisensory Experience in CAVE Virtual Reality Through Olfactory Sensing.

Vasilis Vasileiadis1, Anastasios Theodoropoulos1,2, George Lepouras1

  • 1HCI-VR Lab, University of the Peloponnese, 22131 Tripoli, Greece.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces Scentree, an olfactory system for virtual reality (VR), enabling interaction-driven scent delivery in Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs). Findings show this approach enhances immersion and user experience in VR.

Keywords:
CAVEhuman–computer interactionmultisensory experiencesolfactory displaysolfactory virtual realityvirtual reality

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Combining a Breath-Synchronized Olfactometer with Brain Simulation to Study the Impact of Odors on Corticospinal Excitability and Effective Connectivity
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Combining a Breath-Synchronized Olfactometer with Brain Simulation to Study the Impact of Odors on Corticospinal Excitability and Effective Connectivity

Published on: January 19, 2024

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06:13

Combining a Breath-Synchronized Olfactometer with Brain Simulation to Study the Impact of Odors on Corticospinal Excitability and Effective Connectivity

Published on: January 19, 2024

Area of Science:

  • Virtual Reality (VR)
  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
  • Sensory Feedback Systems

Background:

  • Olfactory feedback integration in VR is underexplored, especially in room-scale Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs).
  • Existing research often treats olfaction as passive, lacking interaction-driven mechanisms within virtual experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present Scentree, a novel olfactory system for real-time, interaction-driven scent delivery in CAVE-based VR.
  • To introduce the Diegetic Olfactory Feedback Loop concept, embedding olfaction into VR narratives.
  • To evaluate the technical feasibility and user experience of this olfactory system in a VR application.

Main Methods:

  • Development of the custom Scentree olfactory system.
  • Creation of an olfactory-enhanced VR experience, Smelling Ancient Greece, for CAVE integration.
  • Technical performance assessment and an exploratory user study (N=51) measuring immersion, presence, realism, usability, and user experience.

Main Results:

  • The Scentree system demonstrated feasibility for real-time, interaction-driven scent delivery within CAVE environments.
  • User study results indicated positive participant perceptions of immersion, presence, and overall user experience.
  • The Diegetic Olfactory Feedback Loop proved effective in enhancing the VR experience.

Conclusions:

  • Interaction-driven olfactory feedback is a viable multisensory design approach for immersive CAVE VR.
  • The Scentree system and Diegetic Olfactory Feedback Loop provide a foundation for future research in VR olfaction.
  • Further controlled studies are recommended to explore the specific impacts of olfactory feedback in VR.