The Chinese government has published a national plan for the development of the virtual reality industry, which includes guidelines to promote research in "simulation of odors". Apparently, the time has come for Beijing for the so-called "Internet of Smells", the internet of smells that should make everything more immersive (it depends on smells, in my opinion).
Plan, that I link to you here, is (how to say?) typically Chinese. It sets a goal of rolling out 25 million devices per year by 2025 and plans to create ten VR theme parks where applications are explored. It also provides for the development of at least 20 scenarios in which virtual reality will be used and 100 "pioneering cases" of integrated applications.
Internet of smells
The plan, as I mentioned, also includes extensive research on technologies that contribute to a more immersive virtual reality. Technologies including "gesture, eye, facial expression, body movement tracking. Immersive sound fields, myoelectric sensing, odor internet" and others.
Improvements, optimizations and connections, the plan reads, would benefit from the ultra-fast 5G network. There is even abrain-computer interface, aimed at promoting "the development of sensory interaction in the direction of naturalization, siteization and intelligence". Don't ask me what it means, I don't think I understand it completely.
The highlight, however, smells aside, is the creation of an open VR platform. An online structure that allows collaboration and simulation between multiple people. Mark Zuckerberg's ears are ringing, and it's not for the loud slaps received by former colleagues and on the stock exchange.
Virtual reality, real country
Analysis firm IDC has estimated that global sales of virtual reality headsets reached 11,2 million units in 2021, with China purchasing around 500.000 of them - they will grow to 50 million within the next 3 years. To be clear, IDC registered 13,5 million foldable smartphones in 2021, and predicted that 2026 million will be sold by 41,5. It seems that the trend for VR is close to an explosion that exceeds even the sales figures of the devices that today seem more launched.
Of course, between "metaverses" in Chinese sauce, internet of smells and other plans, mass adoption of these technologies does not seem close within the next 3 years. We are still talking about a population of 1,4 billion people. At the expected growth rates, virtual reality would have to go through at least 20 years of evolution to have a significant impact on Chinese society. Moreover in a historical period in which the development of microchips could become damned difficult for the Celestial Empire.
The growth of these technologies, however, is known to be exponential. And if we talk about surprises, you can smell all kinds of smells around these days.
