Mul-O: Encouraging Olfactory Innovation in Various Scenarios Through a Task-Oriented Development Platform

Olfactory interfaces are pivotal in HCI, yet their development is hindered by limited application scenarios, stifling the discovery of new research opportunities. This challenge primarily stems from existing design tools focusing predominantly on odor display devices and the creation of standalone olfactory experiences, rather than enabling rapid adaptation to various contexts and tasks. Addressing this, we introduce Mul-O, a novel task-oriented development platform crafted to aid semi-professionals in navigating the diverse requirements of potential application scenarios and effectively prototyping ideas. Mul-O facilitates the swift association and integration of olfactory experiences into functional designs, system integrations, and concept validations. Comprising a web UI for task-oriented development, an API server for seamless third-party integration, and wireless olfactory display hardware, Mul-O significantly enhances the ideation and prototyping process in multisensory tasks. This was verified by a 15-day workshop attended by 30 participants. The workshop produced seven innovative projects, underscoring Mul-O’s efficacy in fostering olfactory innovation.