Enhancing Virtual Training: Innovative Digital Scent Device Design for Emergency Services

Virtual training is the future for the emergency services, medical staff and key workers such as firefighters, paramedics, nurses and doctors. It is gaining popularity at a rapid pace but is currently limited by how much sensory information it conveys and does not represent real stress levels making it less effective.

Integrating scents into the virtual training creates more memorable experiences and better prepares staff for working under sensory pressure. Scents are processed in the olfactory cortex in the brain, part of the limbic system, which is also responsible for forming memories, processing emotions and survival instincts. Training under sensory pressure creates stronger neural pathways and in real situations smells can help retrieve protocols of action for faster and more confident response.

The smells can be used in two distinct ways: as clues or as distractions in an environment. Scentient's devices can be used for recreating previously unavailable scenarios with silent and invisible cues, such as a smell of gas or other chemicals. Smells can also be used as a form of desensitisation during training, putting more pressure on trainees in a safe environment to allow them to learn to make time-critical decisions under sensory overload.

This project will tackle two main design needs -- electronics design and casing design. The casing design will be informed by the human-centric design approach, speaking with the end users, studying training routines and understanding their needs and requirements. Scentient is approaching this project without pre-conceived ideas and is focused on understanding the customers. The

The aim of the project is to understand how the devices can be designed in a way that they are versatile, non-obtrusive especially with other equipment worn, durable and modular to make the repair as easy as possible in cases where the devices do break.

The electronics design needs to follow the same principles of modularity. Electronic components are amongst the hardest parts to recycle, so in this project the aim is to design it in a way that the most electronics parts can be salvaged and reused in other devices.