Smell and touch in the Virtual Jumpcube

Abstract

The Virtual Jumpcube is a virtual reality setup from 2015 that allows for jumping and flying in audiovisual virtual environments. Recently, we have included several haptic and olfactory stimuli that should further increase the degree of immersion in the experienced virtuality. These additional media channels were tested by the participants of several events and the feedback of 196 jumpers was gathered in a questionnaire. In this paper, we describe the stimulation hardware and software as well as the performed experiment and we present the major findings of the evaluation. It shows that if employed correctly, haptic and olfactory stimuli can enhance immersion and user experience significantly. Major success factors appear to be the amplitude and frequency of stimulation as well as the temporal synchronization with the other media channels, in particular the visual stimuli.