Would you buy a car that can release calming smells into the air when you are stuck in heavy traffic? Would you buy a robot that smells like a human being?
Many people have seen the 3-D computer-made environments of virtual reality(虚拟现实). Now these virtual worlds will not just look and sound real. Researchers have created VR environments that even smell like the real ones. With the new technology, users open a virtual door and step into a new environment, like a rainforest. After they enter this virtual world, special equipment releases forest-like smells into the air to make the experience feel more real.
Suzanne Fisher-Murray said, “It is a really wonderful experience that you have because you’re exploring this environment and you have smells with it.”
In the United States, Smell-O-Vision was designed to provide smells during the showing of a movie. The Smell-O-Vision system was once popular in the 1960s. Now, Emanuela Maggioni says it is close to becoming popular again. “It connects emotions and memories with the sense of smell,” Maggioni said. “It is unbelievable what we can do with the technology.”
The uses of smell technology are not just limited to films and the performing arts. Researchers showed a computer program where users could imagine themselves driving a car. The system included a special smell-spraying machine. Dmitrijs Dmitrenko said, “We want to deliver the smell of lavender(薰衣草) every time the person drives over the speed limit. We choose lavender because it’s a very calming smell.”
Scientists are experimenting with smells instead of sounds or image-based alerts on telecommunications equipment. And businessmen have already used smells to influence people’s behavior. “Not only in stores, but also in other places you can create and stimulate(刺激) immediate purchase,” Maggioni said. “So you’re in a library and when you smell coffee you will unconsciously have the need to drink a coffee.”
【小题1】Using smell technology, researchers make VR environments ________.A.have a smell of a rainforest |
B.even smell like the real ones |
C.look like a 4-Denvironment |
D.frighten people with a virtual world |
A.America is the first to use smell technology |
B.cinemas are the most suitable places for the sense of smell |
C.smell technology has been used before |
D.it is out of date to use smell-spraying devices |
A.To make buyers understand salesmen better. |
B.To remind people of their unrealistic purchase. |
C.To help customers choose their favorite goods. |
D.To stimulate people to buy things. |
A.The new developments of smell technology. |
B.A major breakthrough of VR technology. |
C.The sense of smell in human communication. |
D.The advanced smell-spraying machines. |