Olfactory display

The last twenty years have seen enormous leaps forward in computers' abilities to generate sound and video. What happens when computers can produce scents on demand? In this talk, I present three approaches to this question. I first look at human olfactory processing: what is our olfactory bandwidth, and what are the limitations of our sense of smell? I then explore the use of scent to accompany other media, from historical examples like Sense-o-Rama and Aromarama, to more recent work including firefighter training systems, augmented gaming, and food and beverage applications. Finally, I look at the possibilities of olfactory output as an ambient display medium. I conclude with an overview of current computer-controlled olfactory output devices: off the shelf solutions for incorporating scent into user interface applications.