Smells Like Fire: Exploring the Impact of Olfactory Cues in VR Wildfire Evacuation Training

TL;DR

This pilot study investigates how adding smoke odors in VR wildfire evacuation training affects immersion and perceived preparedness, showing increased immersion with olfactory cues.

Contribution

It introduces the use of olfactory stimuli in VR evacuation training and evaluates its impact on user immersion and preparedness perception.

Findings

Participants exposed to smoke reported higher immersion.

Both groups felt more prepared after the VR experience.

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.