Bored of 24X7 online viewing, listening and chattingIJ It’s time to satiate your palate in the virtual world now.
If we believe scientists, a digital device can actually recreate the taste of virtual food and drinks by non-invasive electrical and thermal stimulation of the tongue.
A team led by Nimesha Ranasinghe, an engineer of Sri lankan origin at the Keio-NUS Cute Centre in Singapore, has invented a simulator that can let you taste your favourite food online. For free, literally.
“This simulator generates signals transmitted through a silver electrode, touching the tip of the tongue, to produce salty, sweet, sour and bitter sensations. By combining different levels of electrical currents and varying the temperature of the electrode, simulation of the tastes can be reproduced,” said Ranasinghe in a Press release issued by National University of Singapore.
The research team has developed taste-over-Internet protocol for taste messaging —a data format that facilitates the delivery of information on recreating the different tastes via electrode.