This paper investigates how a smartphone-controlled olfactory wearable might improve memory recall. We conducted a within-subjects experiment with 32 participants using the device and without (control). In the experimental condition, bursts of odor were released during visuo-spatial memory navigation tasks, and replayed during sleep the following night in the subjects’ home. We found that compared to control, there was an improvement in memory performance when using the scent wearable in memory tasks that involved walking in a physical space. Furthermore, participants recalled more objects and translations when re-exposed to the same scent during the recall test, in addition to during sleep. These effects were statistically significant, and, in the object recall task, they also persisted for more than one week. This experiment demonstrates a potential practical application of olfactory interfaces that can interact with a user during wake as well as sleep to support memory.

Often Virtual Reality (VR) experiences are limited by the design of standard controllers. This work aims to liberate a VR developer from these limitations in the physical realm to provide an expressive match to the limitless possibilities in the virtual realm. VirtualBricks is a LEGO based toolkit that enables construction of a variety of physical-manipulation enabled controllers for VR, by offering a set of feature bricks that emulate as well as extend the capabilities of default controllers. Based on the LEGO platform, the toolkit provides a modular, scalable solution for enabling passive haptics in VR. We demonstrate the versatility of our designs through a rich set of applications including re-implementations of artifacts from recent research. We share a VR Integration package for integration with Unity VR IDE, the CAD models for the feature bricks, for easy deployment of VirtualBricks within the community.