Master of Science

thesisThis thesis discusses the development of an olfactory display for the University of Utah TreadPort Virtual Environment (UUTVE). The goal of the UUTVE is to create a virtual environment that is as life like as possible by communicating to the user as many of the sensations felt in moving around in real the world as possible, while staying within the confines of the virtual environment's workspace. The UUTVE has a visual display, auditory display, a locomotion interface and wind display. With the wind display, it is possible to create an effective olfactory display that does not have some of the limitations associated with many of the current olfactory displays. The inclusion of olfactory information in virtual environments is becoming increasingly common as the effects of including an olfactory display show an increase in user presence. The development of the olfactory display for the UUTVE includes the following components: the physical apparatus for injecting scent particles into the air stream, the development of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model with which to control the concentration of scent being sensed by the user, and user studies to verify the model and show as proof of concept that the wind tunnel can be used to create an olfactory display. The physical apparatus of the display consists of air atomizing nozzles, solenoids for controlling when the scents are released, containers for holding the scents and a pressurized air tank used to provide the required air to make the nozzles work. CFD is used model the wind flow through the TPAWT. The model of the wind flow is used to simulate how particles advect in the wind tunnel. These particle dispersion simulations are then used to create a piecewise model that is able to predict the scent's concentration behavior as the odor flows through the wind tunnel. The user studies show that the scent delivery system is able to display an odor to a person standing in the TPAWT. The studies also provided a way to measure the time it takes for a person to recognize an odor after it has been released into the air stream, and also the time it takes for a user to recognize that the odor is no longer present

New trends in store atmosphere: an application to the telecommunication sector

Store atmosphere is increasingly becoming an area of interest in Marketing studies. Despite the exponential growth of internet use for all purposes (including online shopping), going to physical stores is still consider as essential to consumers. The aim of the present dissertation is to understand new store trends on the market, and their impact on store atmosphere when applied to the telecommunication industry. To achieve the research objectives a literature review was developed followed by an empirical research. This qualitative research allowed the investigation of four types of store trends' impact on telecommunication's stores: "store mood zones", "retailtainment", "co-creation" and "interactive screens". Several cues related to these trends were presented to a sample of consumers as a way of studying its influence on consumer’s perception and behaviour within the store. Overall, the findings revealed that the above presented trends are valuable to improve the consumers' interest on visiting physical stores. Nevertheless, its influence on consumer behaviour may vary according to which sort of idealization and implementation is used. As so, marketeers must understand the relationship among several stimuli, and its effect on consumers to adapt to each circumstance and target audience.A atmosfera das lojas tem-se tornado, cada vez mais, uma área de interesse em estudos de Marketing. Apesar do crescimento exponencial no uso da internet para todos os fins (incluindo compras on-line), deslocar-se às lojas ainda é considerado essencial para os consumidores. O objetivo da presente dissertação passa por perceber as novas tendências das lojas no mercado e o seu impacto na atmosfera das mesmas, nomeadamente, no setor das telecomunicações. Com o intuito de atingir os objetivos deste estudo, desenvolveu-se, primeiramente, uma revisão de literatura seguida de uma parte empírica. Esta pesquisa qualitativa permitiu assim a investigação do impacto de quatro tipos de tendências em lojas de telecomunicações: "store mood zones", "retailtainment", cocriação e ecrãs interativos. Vários estímulos relacionados com essas tendências foram apresentados a uma amostra de consumidores de forma a estudar a sua influência na perceção e comportamento do consumidor dentro da loja. De uma maneira geral, os resultados revelaram que as tendências apresentadas previamente são valiosas para fazer crescer o interesse dos consumidores em visitar lojas, presencialmente. Não obstante, a sua influência no comportamento do consumidor pode ariar consoante o tipo de idealização e implementação utilizadas. Deste modo, o marketeers devem procurar perceber a relação entre os vários estímulos e os seus respetivos efeitos sobre os consumidores para se conseguirem adaptar a cada circunstância e a cada público-alvo

Molecular Communication over Gas Stream Channels using Portable Mass Spectrometry.

The synthetic generation/coding and transmission of olfactory information over a gas stream or an odor network is a new and unexplored field. Application areas vary from the entertainment or advertisement industry to security and telemedicine. However, current technological limitations frustrate the accurate reproduction of decoded and transmitted olfactory data. This study describes the development, testing, and characterization of a novel odor emitter (OE) that is used to investigate the generation-encoding of gaseous standards with odorous characteristics with a regulatable way, for scent transmission purposes. The calibration and the responses of a developed OE were examined using a portable quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS). Experiments were undertaken for a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at different temperatures and flow rates. Individual compounds and mixtures were tested to investigate periodic and dynamic transmission characteristics within two different size tubular containers for distances up to 3 m. Olfactory information transmission is demonstrated using MS as the main molecular sensor for odor detection and monitoring and for the first time spatial encryption of olfactory information is shown. Graphical Abstract ᅟ

Multisensory Integration as per Technological Advances: A Review

Multisensory integration research has allowed us to better understand how humans integrate sensory information to produce a unitary experience of the external world. However, this field is often challenged by the limited ability to deliver and control sensory stimuli, especially when going beyond audio–visual events and outside laboratory settings. In this review, we examine the scope and challenges of new technology in the study of multisensory integration in a world that is increasingly characterized as a fusion of physical and digital/virtual events. We discuss multisensory integration research through the lens of novel multisensory technologies and, thus, bring research in human–computer interaction, experimental psychology, and neuroscience closer together. Today, for instance, displays have become volumetric so that visual content is no longer limited to 2D screens, new haptic devices enable tactile stimulation without physical contact, olfactory interfaces provide users with smells precisely synchronized with events in virtual environments, and novel gustatory interfaces enable taste perception through levitating stimuli. These technological advances offer new ways to control and deliver sensory stimulation for multisensory integration research beyond traditional laboratory settings and open up new experimentations in naturally occurring events in everyday life experiences. Our review then summarizes these multisensory technologies and discusses initial insights to introduce a bridge between the disciplines in order to advance the study of multisensory integration

Skin Stories: Charting and Mapping the Skin. Research using analogies of human skin tissue in relation to my textile practice.

The practice based research SKIN STORIES:: CHARTING AND MAPPING THE SKIN deals with issues across the fields of art, design, technology, biology and material science. In an attempt to bridge the gap between aesthetics and technology by investigating the potential of new and industrial materials, the epidermis is used as a metaphor for creating innovative textile surfaces which behave, look or feel like skin. As a result of theoretical enquiry and practical experiments, interactive design solutions have been developed to a prototype stage for possible application in domestic environments and public spaces as well as for integration into body related design concepts. The development of such functional and interactive textile membranes will hopefully enable individuals to experience a polysensual and responsive environment and it is this aspect which is considered to be an original contribution to knowledge in the textiles field. The aim of this written thesis is not only to illustrate the journeys and investigations made along the way and to demonstrate the outcome of the research, but also to situate the practical work in its cultural, critical and technological context. This thesis is accompanied by an interactive CD-ROM which is a visual representation of my 'research map' and holds a record of the practical work carried out during the research project. The ideas of the project SKIN STORIES:: CHARTING AND MAPPING THE SKIN have been developed and tested during a 3-year research programme towards a Ph. D. at The London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London

Crowdsourcing the linguistic landscape of a multilingual country. Introducing Lingscape in Luxembourg

This paper introduces the citizen science mobile application Lingscape. This free research tool for Android and iOS smartphones uses a crowdsourcing approach for research on linguistic landscapes. The paper discusses the use of mobile applications and crowdsourcing in linguistics, methodological requirements and problems of an app-based approach to the study of linguistic landscapes, and the key features of the app Lingscape. It considers the Luxembourgish cultural super-diversity as well as existing studies about the Luxembourgish linguistic landscape to set the background for the pilotstudy

The impact of interactive screens on store atmosphere: A case study of Leroy Merlin

Nowadays, with the emergence of new technologies, customers have become more demanding about their choices, increasingly valuing experiences rather than the product itself. This new generation is always on the lookout for new trends and some even prefer to shop online, as it is easier and faster process. However, in some types of products they need to physically touch and test in order to consolidate their choices. Thus, retailers must adapt their physical stores to fit them and create a memorable retail customer experience, adapted to all targets, able to interact and emerge in a unique environment that positively impacts them sensorially and that can be converted into customer satisfaction, increasing purchases and, in the best scenario, creating a loyalty relationship with the brand. In addition, Marketers have shown that the new retail trends impact and improve customer journey and the Interactive Screens are an example of one, which may have influence on factors such as customer experience and the possibility of visiting the store again, making a good opportunity for retailers to engage with their customers. For that reason, the present case study is based on the DIY and Home Improvement market in Portugal, which is growing, and the main purpose is to study the brand Leroy Merlin and in which and how its in-store Kiosks impacts its store atmosphere.Atualmente, com o aparecimento de novas tecnologias, os consumidores estão a tornar-se cada vez mais exigentes quanto às suas escolhas, valorizando maioritariamente as experiências, em vez do produto por si só. Esta nova geração está sempre atenta às novas tendências e alguns até preferem comprar online, devido à facilidade e rapidez do processo. No entanto, em alguns tipos de produtos, este tipo de clientes, embora sejam uma geração digital, necessitam de tocar e testar os produtos fisicamente para consolidar as suas escolhas. Assim, os retalhistas devem adaptar as suas lojas físicas, de modo a criar uma experiência memorável aos seus visitantes, adaptada a todos os targets, capaz de interagir e emergi-los num ambiente único, que os impacta sensorialmente de forma positiva e que poderá ser convertido na sua satisfação, no aumento de compras e, no melhor cenário, na criação de uma relação de lealdade com marca. Adicionalmente, os Marketers têm mostrado que as novas tendências do retalho impactam o percurso do cliente em loja e os ecrãs interativos são um exemplo de uma delas, que podem influenciar a experiência em loja do cliente e a possibilidade de voltar a visitá-la, tornando-se uma boa oportunidade para os retalhistas interagirem com seus clientes. Por esse motivo, o presente Caso de Estudo é baseado no mercado da Bricolage em Portugal, que está em crescimento, e o principal objetivo é estudar a marca Leroy Merlin e em como os seus Kiosks - um tipo de ecrã interativo - afetam a sua Atmosfera de Loja