A research team including Professor Takamichi Nakamoto (at the time) of the Institute for Future Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Technology at the Tokyo University of Science, Professor Takeshi Kobayashi of the Faculty of Human Studies at Bunkyo Gakuin University, Visiting Researcher Nathan Cohen of the University of the Arts London, and Associate Professor Kosuke Yamamoto of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Hosei University, was the first in the world to propose using olfactory VR (virtual reality) to improve cognitive function in the elderly.
According to Bunkyo Gakuin University, the research team had 63 subjects aged 90 to 30 experience an olfactory VR game. There were three types of clouds in the VR game, and when the player approached a cloud, a corresponding scent was emitted from the olfactory display. The player had to remember the first scent they smelled, move in the direction of the cloud where the scent was located, and smell it to determine whether it was the same as the scent they remembered. The VR game was played twice, six days apart, and various cognitive tests were conducted before the first game and after the second game.
As a result, it was found that scores on tasks such as "Hiragana Rotation," in which participants judge whether a rotating hiragana character is the same as the original character, significantly improved after experiencing the olfactory VR game. These tasks require visual-spatial processing, and the research team believes that the olfactory VR game improved related cognitive and memory functions.
So far, olfactory VR games have been mainly used in the entertainment field, but the research team has proposed using it for elderly rehabilitation, etc., as it is expected to improve cognitive function. Research will continue in the future to clarify the duration of the effect and the effect of repeated play.
Paper information: [Scientific Reports] Exploring the Effects of Olfactory VR on Visuospatial Memory and Cognitive Processing in Older Adults
