Touch, Scent, Temperature - Exploring the Boundaries of Virtual Reality

VRARA Chicago invites you to join our own Distinguished Research Professor Stephen H. Haliczer in a webinar presenting three highly innovative researchers whose collective work suggests ways of incorporating touch, smell, heat and cold into VR experiences. Cathy Fang, from Carnegie Mellon University, has created “Wirereality,” which combines the mechanical with the virtual to simulate the feel of walls, metal bars, sculpture and other objects in virtual reality. Brad Radvansky’s work at Northwestern University’s Dombeck Laboratory, demonstrates that the brains of mice can form a map of virtual space using only olfactory information. Jas Brooks’ research at the University of Chicago Human-Computer Integration Laboratory, has shown that the controlled release of certain chemicals like capsicum can produce illusions of heat or cold during a virtual reality experience. Taken together, these researchers’ results point the way to a dramatic expansion of the sensations that could be made available to the designers of VR experiences in order to make them more realistic and immersive. The potential applications for retail, user experience, and entertainment are boundless. Join us for a first look at how our experiences with sight, smell, and touch will link together in the future of VR technology.