Project Brief & Context

The brief for this group project was to design and prototype a digital olfaction project. Integrating smell meaningfully into an interactive digital system. It had to be a robust, well-tested system that actually worked for a specific purpose.

The context of our project was to create an olfaction device that counteracted the temperature of the external environment by using smells and science supported theories on scent sensations. The aim was to allow users to feel like they are in a comfortable and ambient environment, as well as making this device an alternative to heating and air conditioning, becoming a newer reduced energy consumption technology.

Initial Ideas

Initial ideas started off with it being a small portable device, suitable for a room allowing it to deliver scents to multiple people. It would revolutionise the space by offering a dual-purpose digital olfaction device. It not only would provide comforting scents based on external temperatures but also double as an emergency alert system for weather-related dangers. We aimed to focus on the input more than the output, looking to utilise temperature and humidity sensors firstly, as well as exploring the use of API internet.

To create the desired experience, the trigeminal nerve is a scientific way of looking at scents and the way they stimulate sensations in the nose and for this project was the most appropriate way to approach it. Since we look at scents and the temperature effect they can have on users. The scents we initially decided to use were cinnamon for the warmer scent and mint for the cooler.

Key Skills

• Research

• Adobe Creative Suite

• Laser cutting

• Communication and collaboration

• Problem-solving

• Time management

• Flexibility

• User-centred design

• Analytical thinking

• Innovative

Summary of Process

1. Started with sketching and storyboarding of the initial idea.

2. This was followed by conducting more literature research and looking at related work using the trigeminal nerve to understand how we could implement it successfully.

3. I tested scent sensations on users to select desired smells.

4. Then I moved on to developing these designs, creating a low/mid fidelity prototype out of cardboard.

5. I further produced a mid/high fidelity prototype out of acrylic, after doing further iterations. This was done through using the laser cutter and CAD software’s such as Adobe Illustrator and VLS.

6. Finished off by carrying out user-testing and interviews using the final prototype, where we then drew our final conclusions to present in an ACM report and presentation with live demonstration of working prototype.

Decision-Making

Group cooperation was essential. Changing it to a wearable device came from research suggesting it would be more effective.

Decision making of the scents was backed by research and case studies. Where this idea of science versus art-based scents was introduced. How cinnamon although in perfumery is considered warm, science wise it is cool and since we were working with the trigeminal nerve, it made sense to match the science identification to ensure the most optimal when using the device. Black pepper became the warm choice, with mint staying.

User-testing showed us how the size of the box holding the fan and scent pouches had to be an appropriate size to allow the smell to be dispersed and testing also noted to us the importance the angle of the fan had to be. These decisions became easy to make due to the evidence we had collected from testing our initial prototype.

Final Outcome

Our final outcome was a wearable digital olfaction device that used vaporisation and switching method for scent delivery. The prototype consisted of a shoulder vest with one smell stimulator on each front side of the vest, and a control board fixed on the central strap between shoulder blades. Each stimulator has a fan and a smell source within a transparent acrylic box, made using a laser cut. The smells are different, when the temperature is above 15 degrees celsius the colder scent, peppermint, is dispersed and when below 15 the warmer scent, black pepper, is released. The temperature can be adjustable based on averages in a particular environment. Both stimulator boxes are connected and controlled by Arduino Nano 33 Microcontroller. The device also has a temperature reader that can be held.

Final Reflections

It was proven that we can manipulate how people feel the environment’s temperature through the trigeminal nerve. However, the device is for personal use in real, everyday conditions. We don’t create controlled lab environments. The users are moving around, they are constantly exposed to different smells, and the environment temperature is shifting naturally. That means that the manipulation of the trigeminal nerve is getting lost in regular environmental conditions. The wearable device isn’t powerful enough to create “a smell cloud” around the user which we see as the only way to get a minimal effect. In addition, the constant explosion of a user to a strong smell brings up a concern for their well-being.