VT Company Wins International Award by Using Scent for Virtual Reality

Source: Vermont Business Magazine

OVR Technology , a leader in multisensory VR/AR, has won the AUREA Award for Excellence in Impact in augmented, virtual or mixed reality. Started in 2018, the AUREA Awards are an industry-leading event honoring the world’s best innovations that demonstrate the potential of this sector for technology and immersive entertainment. OVR Technology was one of 10 selected finalists. Jury members included thought leaders Cathy Hackl, Athena Demos, Kathleen Cohen, Frank Govaere, and Thomas Wagner. Award categories included innovation, creative, experience, impact, and interaction.  

OVR Technology won the AUREA Impact Award for its groundbreaking approach using scent technology to make XR, AR, and VR experiences more immersive and effective. Scent is the only sense directly linked to the limbic system of the brain and plays a critical role in human motivation and behavior. 

“Leveraging scent’s ability to create much more realistic, immersive virtual environments unlocks the potential of virtual reality to produce better experiences and more potent results across multiple industries and use cases,” said Aaron Wisniewski, CEO at OVR Technology. The company works with partners and customers in flavor and fragrance, health and wellbeing, and professional training on outcomes-oriented AR/VR/XR.   

“The goal is to make virtual reality as multisensory as possible. OVR is the first company with the right technology and the right approach to bring something to the marketplace that has never existed before and that is effective,” said Rachel Herz, PhD, neuroscientist and global expert on olfaction, who joined OVR’s board of advisors in 2021. “In every aspect of life that VR could potentially help, OVR can play a role. The sense of smell makes everything so much richer. The sky’s the limit.“  

OVR Technology’s Architecture of Scent® Software, Scentware, and Hardware Platform is a mixture of art, science, and technology that precisely replicates realistic olfactory experiences for the digital world. The ION, developed by OVR Technology, is the most accurate and precise on-mask scent technology currently available. The technology is such that it can intelligently  recognize your locations and interactions to precisely release the right scents at the right time.

In 2021, OVR Technology released its INHALE Wellness Platform, which provides the benefits of mindfulness, breathwork, digital therapeutics, and meditation with multi-sensory virtual reality nature experiences. The platform places users in an immersive, three-dimensional environment and simulates a relaxing and tranquil setting. As users interact with the virtual environment, corresponding scents are precisely released, mimicking scent as it arises and dissipates in the real world.