Bryan Roe, SensoryCo
WHAT ARE KEY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS FOR 2025?
There are so many exciting technologies to consider. From pure tech like AI that helps create increasingly personalized and adaptive experiences, to the inclusion of tech devices like Wearables, to offering digital ownership through NFTs. But since I am a sensory guy, I am convinced that the technologies that allow you to further engage the senses will also be top of mind.
WHY IS IT SO ESSENTIAL TO ENGAGE THE SENSES IN EXPERIENTIAL SPACES?
There are all sorts of research that supports the notion that leveraging the five senses creates emotional engagement and allows creators to build deeper connections with participants. Take the sense of smell, for example, which has a direct and powerful link to memory and emotion and can take you back to a specific moment in time. You want participants to be fully engaged, right? What better way is there to engage a person than to ensure you fully immerse them in the experience? You want to make things about as “real” as possible, whether the activation is heavy in tech or not.
WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE THERE THAT ENGAGE THE SENSES?
There is an entire industry that deals with the first two senses – Sight and Sound. Audiovisual (AV) professionals have enjoyed a myriad of innovations over the years, and there is certainly more to come. You have visual tech like AR and VR, as well as projection mapping and holograms that are evolving at a tremendous pace. And spatial audio that enhances auditory experiences. Haptic or other tactile technologies like spritzers allow people to feel or Touch. Then, we have my personal favorite, scent dispersing tech or scent delivery systems that introduce Smell to an experience. I am sure I have left a few off the list and some that we haven’t even been introduced to yet, but most assuredly, there is a push to use tech to assist in engaging the senses.
DO WE NEED TECH TO ENGAGE THE SENSES?
No, of course not. There are traditional ways to accomplish the same thing. The way you work with space, lighting, art. Live music, natural sounds or ambient noises. Textured materials or tactile engagement. Fresh flowers, or the smell food. And let’s not forget taste which I didn’t cover above but there is no substitute for a good food truck.
WHAT IS NEW AT SENSORYCO FOR 2025?
At SensoryCo, we continue to enhance our scent delivery technologies to make it easier to disperse and control scent within an experience, whether it is big or small, virtual, augmented, or face-to-face. We have a new enhancement to our SMX1 coming out just in time for 2025, the SMX2, that will offer a direct DMX interface for controlling the release of scents as well as offer a greater range of scent intensity by allowing a doubling up on cartridges to increase the intensity or run-time of scents. In 2025 we are also releasing a battery option for the SMX2 for those who desire mobility. This is an advantage for temporary pop-up environments, art installations, experiential workshops, and other activations requiring flexible implementation.
WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST SCENT THAT YOU HAVE PRODUCED?
Most of the crazier scents are associated with military or medical applications. But I guess one of the most interesting scents we developed was a raptor scent. What does a raptor smell like anyway? Our client eventually settled in on a dirty, slightly fishy reptilian experience.
