Olfactory Interfaces

What Does Olfactory Interfaces Mean?

Olfactory interfaces are interfaces based on the user’s sense of smell. They are often defined as interfaces that synthesize odors for emission to replace or support other types of sensory interfaces such as visual, tactile or audio interfaces.

Advertisements

Techopedia Explains Olfactory Interfaces

How olfactory interfaces work varies, and these systems are largely theoretical as they have not been broadly applied to any particular part of the IT industry. In Gartner’s definition, an olfactory interface includes a “flow delivery system,” a “pallete” of odor-generating materials and algorithms or programs that figure out how to mix and present specific odors.

The development of olfactory interfaces has been challenging for various reasons. Some have to do with the difficulties of finding natural odor-causing materials to synthesize a broad range of odors. Others have to do with the motivation for designing the systems; in the majority of cases, having an olfactory interface is impractical and inefficient. However, some IT experts are showing how olfactory interfaces can be applied; for instance, in educational systems, they can be used to develop olfactory signals for warnings and emergency systems, or to enhance certain kinds of immersive virtual-reality programs.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Latest Emerging Technology Terms

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…