Multimodal Display Systems: Haptic, Olfactory, Gustatory, and Vestibular

The Sensorama is the prototypical embodiment of a virtual environment (VE), conceived and implemented years before “VR” (or “virtual reality”) became a common term. Whereas VR has been often characterized as “goggles and gloves,” Heilig (1962) developed a truly multimodal display system that provided for stereoscopic vision, binaural audition, haptics (wind in the face; vibration or “jolts”), and olfaction. Figure 5.1 shows the patent drawing for the containers that served as the Sensorama’s olfactory sources. Those containers, coupled with the system’s fan, comprise what is likely the first example of an olfactory display that was integrated with other display modalities. In many respects his invention still stands alone in terms of the degree of integration of multimodal displays in a practical device that provided a compelling virtual experience for the user. In this chapter we examine nonvisual and nonauditory displays that have been used or have the potential to be used in virtual environments for training.