Our next seminar will be held on Wednesday, October 19, at 10.15-12.00 in the Glocal Classroom (room NIC 0502) in the Niagara building, fifth floor. It will be held by Simon Niedenthal, docent and senior lecturer in Interaction Design at K3. Below you can find an abstract for the seminar.

This seminar will be an introduction to olfactory interaction and smell-enabled game design research at K3. Our Unique Sense of Smell (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond) and Nosewise (M. & M. Wallenberg Foundation) are two recently-funded Swedish olfactory research initiatives, and both include a game design component. We propose to explore whether regular training through smell-enabled games can improve memory and expand sensory capacity. This research could prove useful in interventions related to dementia in the elderly, a looming public health challenge. Besides introducing the topic of olfactory interaction design, and showing our developing game concepts, we will also reflect upon the opportunities and challenges that emerge when game designers and social scientists collaborate. We are part of a long and vital tradition of interdisciplinary research, one which harkens back to K3’s founding vision as being a place where different research cultures can meet, We hope our seminar will include give and take that can contribute to the current discussion about K3’s (research) profile.