Implementation of a Multi-sensory Virtual Reality System with Olfactory, Thermal, and Vibration Feedback

While Virtual Reality (VR) technology has advanced significantly in recent years, multi-sensory interaction technologies remain underdeveloped, hindering the achievement of deeper immersion. To bridge the technological gap, this paper introduces an innovative multi-sensory VR system that integrates mulsemedia into VR, delivering multiple sensorial media experiences beyond video and audio. The system achieves thermal, tactile, and olfactory stimuli through our meticulously designed multi-sensory feedback mask, which integrates semiconductor Thermal Electric Coolers (TEC), micro flat vibration motors, and piezoelectric atomizers to generate mulsemedia. The mask employs a microcontroller to enable real-time communication with the VR interaction module, ensuring synchronized sensory responses with VR content. We conduct sufficient user experiments using the designed system, evaluating the Quality of Experience (QoE) through a combination of subjective and objective assessments, and analyze the experimental data obtained under different sensory combinations. Experimental results demonstrate that integrating thermal, tactile, and olfactory stimuli significantly enhances users’ immersive experiences.