American scientists have developed a device that can transmit the flavors of food and drinks at a distance and share them in just a few seconds. About this informs The Guardian.
The new device was named e-Taste. It consists of an “electronic tongue” that analyzes the concentration of five basic flavors in a liquid food or drink sample and transmits that data wirelessly, and a simulator that uses miniature electromagnetic pumps to pass liquids through a gel containing five edible flavors and deliver them into the mouth.
The system allows you to mix flavors so that they correspond as closely as possible to the original product, as well as to direct them to certain areas of the tongue, which can be useful for research on taste perception.
During the testing of the device, the researchers conducted several experiments. In the first, 10 volunteers determined the level of acidity of liquids, achieving an accuracy of 70%. In another, six participants tasted liquids that mimicked five foods — lemonade, cake, scrambled eggs, coffee, and fish soup — and then compared them to the flavors reproduced by the device. They correctly identified the products almost 87% of the time.
According to scientists, e-Taste can improve the effect of immersion in virtual and augmented reality, find applications in biomedical research or even be used for “virtual culinary journeys”.
