NASA explores use of VR, scents to minimize effects of long-term spaceflight

A NASA study has pioneered the use of virtual reality (VR) and scents to aid in the behavioral changes that can occur during long space missions, such as the moon or Mars.

According to a report by Texas A&M Today, Renee Abbott, a doctoral student, and her advisor Ana Diaz Artiles from Texas A&M explored the effects of incorporating localized scents into a VR nature environment. The combination of the scents in a VR environment could mitigate the psychological impacts of isolation, confinement, and sensory deprivation experienced by astronauts on long missions. In fact, initial findings were promising, showing reduced anxiety levels and improved behavioral health. 

“For future long-term missions, we won’t have real-time communication or the ability to send care packages as we do now, so NASA is looking for other methods to help maintain behavioral health and performance,” said Abbott, a doctoral student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M.

Abbott and Diaz Artiles emphasized the significant amounts of sensory deprivation astronauts face during long-duration spaceflight, as well as the "profound impact" scents have on our emotional and memory processes, often triggering specific responses and associations. 

By integrating scents into a VR environment, the researchers aimed to closely simulate the presence of nature. For example, as users navigate through the VR environment, "a user could walk near a river in the VR environment and not only hear the sound of rushing water but also smell wet grass. Or if they wandered into a forested area, they would smell the fresh scent of pine. This is accomplished by using hitboxes, which are invisible shapes in the VR environment that activate when the avatar collides with them," Texas A&M reported.

Abbott and Diaz Artiles measured users' anxiety levels before and after exposure to stress-inducing events in a VR environment, finding that the addition of olfactory stimuli not only reduced anxiety levels after heightened stress, but it also decreased stress and anxiety levels from baseline measurements, Texas A&M wrote.

The researchers, therefore, say the findings point to the potential of creating "virtual care packages" that address astronauts' social needs and provide a sense of connection to home. With the addition of other sensory stimuli, such as temperature illusions, virtual care packages could offer astronauts a more immersive and comforting experience.