Your VR headset will soon enable you to experience scents in the virtual world.

      Your nose is about to receive a VR enhancement, and it smells fantastic.

      Virtual Reality has the potential to offer a profoundly immersive experience. It has significantly advanced since its beginnings, now providing clear visuals coupled with surround sound audio. However, it has yet to conquer one important aspect: smell. Scent is a vital part of the human experience, and its absence in VR makes the experience feel incomplete.

      This may soon change, as researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo, in partnership with Rakuten Mobile, have created a wearable device that incorporates smell into the VR experience. This device can blend up to eight different scents in real-time, delivering them in sync with your virtual environment.

      How does it function?

      The device is compact enough to be worn with a standard VR headset. It assesses the virtual scene you are in and generates a corresponding scent by mixing fragrance components in precise proportions. So, if you find yourself virtually walking through a pine forest or at a seaside market, your sense of smell will be engaged, too.

      The team employed a combination of a microdispenser, an ultrasound atomizer, and a small pump to regulate the amount and timing of the fragrance released. The researchers tested the device with virtual travel content, allowing users to explore different locations and experience the associated scents.

      Professor Takamichi Nakamoto, who spearheaded the research, shared the objective: “We aimed to create a system capable of quickly reproducing complex scents during immersive virtual experiences.”

      The outcome is a scent that is delivered rapidly and dissipates cleanly, without leaving a lingering fragrance reminiscent of hours spent in a perfume shop. Participants indicated that the inclusion of scent enhanced the realism and presence of the virtual environment.

      Can smelling virtual worlds offer more than just entertainment?

      Possibly, yes. We have already witnessed the use of scent in 4DX cinema experiences, indicating that it can certainly find a place in virtual entertainment. Beyond gaming and entertainment, this technology could be genuinely beneficial for training simulations, fragrance product demonstrations, and even therapy for elderly patients, as smell is closely linked to memory.

      The device was presented at several international conferences, and initial feedback from attendees was favorable. Although there remains a considerable gap between a research prototype and a commercially available product, this advancement is one of the most exciting strides toward genuinely multi-sensory VR experiences.

      Rachit is an experienced tech journalist with over seven years of expertise in the consumer technology sector.

      DJI’s first 360° drone features 8K video recording and an impressively long transmission range.

      From comprehensive obstacle sensing to 42 GB of onboard storage, the Avata 360 showcases DJI’s knack for elevating industry standards.

      With the launch of the Avata 360, DJI has officially entered the 360° drone market. This is the company’s inaugural fully immersive FPV drone, positioning itself directly against the Antigravity A1, which is developed by a brand incubated by Insta360. It appears the competition in the drone industry has just become more intense.

      What makes the Avata 360 worth considering?

      I successfully transferred all my chats from other AI applications to Gemini — and it worked seamlessly.

      You know that frustrating moment when AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude suddenly veer off track during a conversation and start spiraling into confusion? It’s both amusing and irritating. My typical response is to switch between apps, hoping one of them will get it right. However, the real hassle is having to start over each time, as though I’m repeating my life story to different AIs one after another.

      Now, with Gemini, I can transition from other AI apps without losing the context of the conversation. At last, the Google gods have come through for us. I tested it out, expecting the usual glitches, but it was impressively smooth and fast.

      Google is expanding Search Live worldwide, enhancing it with voice and camera AI.

      The feature is now accessible in over 200 countries with support for multiple languages.

      Google is making significant strides toward transforming Search into a comprehensive AI assistant. The company has officially launched Search Live globally, making the feature available in more than 200 countries and regions, along with support for various languages.