Smells Like Fire: Exploring the Impact of Olfactory Cues in VR Wildfire Evacuation Training
2026-04-09 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer InteractionEmerging Technologies
AI summaryⓘ
The authors tested a virtual reality game that helps people practice evacuating during wildfires by adding a smoky smell. They had 18 people play the game, with half smelling smoke and half not. Those who experienced the smoke felt more immersed in the game. Everyone felt more prepared for real wildfire evacuations after playing. The study shows that smell might improve how realistic and helpful these VR training games are.
virtual realityolfactory stimuluswildfire evacuationimmersionevacuation preparednesspilot studysmoke simulationpost-task survey
Authors
Alison Crosby, MJ Johns, Eunsol Sol Choi, Tejas Polu, Katherine Isbister, Sri Kurniawan
Abstract
This paper presents a pilot study exploring the effects of an olfactory stimulus (smoke) for a Virtual Reality game designed to support wildfire evacuation preparedness. Participants (N=18) were split evenly into either a smoke or a control condition, and both completed the same evacuation task. Post-task surveys assessed the participants' perceived preparedness and overall experience. Initial findings suggest participants in the smoke condition reported significantly higher immersion compared to those in the control condition. Across both groups, participants expressed an increased sense of preparedness for real-world wildfire evacuations following the experience.