Virtual taste and smell

You can now add a virtual taste anf smell to a tasteless snack!

Meiji University in Japan has developed a taste display that can artificially recreate any flavor by triggering the five different tastes on a user’s tongue. Researchers can also create virtual smells by electrocuting your nose.

Electric Chopsticks Add Salty Flavor Where None Exists article tells how a special pair of chopsticks built by Nimesha Ranasinghe could let you experience that great salty taste without actually consuming any salt.

This Lickable Screen Can Recreate Almost Any Taste or Flavor Without Eating Food
https://gizmodo.com/this-lickable-screen-can-recreate-almost-any-taste-or-f-1843609903

Virtual reality with smells and taste will meet synthetic food
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2018/10/22/virtual-reality-with-smells-and-taste-will-meet-synthetic-food/

25 Comments

  1. mapquest directions says:

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  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Is it Hot in Here, or Is it Just My Cranial Nerve?
    https://www.hackster.io/news/is-it-hot-in-here-or-is-it-just-my-cranial-nerve-799d0ae1d603

    A low-power device creates the illusion of temperature change with scents.

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Researchers have discovered a technique for making multi-colored, iridescent chocolate. Cooked up in a university kitchen — literally — these colorful chocolates require no additives or special ingredients.

    Nanotech Diffraction Gratings Give ETH Zurich’s Chocolate an Iridescent Sheen — Without Additives
    https://www.hackster.io/news/nanotech-diffraction-gratings-give-eth-zurich-s-chocolate-an-iridescent-sheen-without-additives-22b7ef6496ac

    https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/researchers-create-shiny-rainbows-of-nanotech-chocolate

    Clever “P-flat” Sheets Allow for Simple “Holographic” Effects on 3D-Printed Objects
    https://www.hackster.io/news/clever-p-flat-sheets-allow-for-simple-holographic-effects-on-3d-printed-objects-d8b2efaed696q

    Good for up to 50 prints, the “P-flat” sheets transfer fine diffracting grating patterns to the flat bottom layer of any 3D-printed object.

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Meiji University Engineers Develop Taste Display That Can Recreate Nearly Every Flavor
    The device uses five gels, including glycine, citric acid, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, and glutamic sodium.
    https://www.hackster.io/news/meiji-university-engineers-develop-taste-display-that-can-recreate-nearly-every-flavor-f1120994954b

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Counterintuitive VR Device Produces Scents to Make You Feel Temperature
    https://www.hackster.io/news/counterintuitive-vr-device-produces-scents-to-make-you-feel-temperature-1323ee22085b

    This new virtual reality device is able to make you feel a wide range of temperatures by, counterintuitively, producing specific scents.

    At first, it seems like it would be easy to integrate temperature into a virtual reality device. Just add heating elements or thermoelectric coolers, right? Unfortunately, those take several seconds (at least) to reach the requested temperature. That delay would completely ruin the experience in a virtual reality game.

    This device contains three reservoirs of scented liquid that can be aerosolized either independently or together and then sprayed in front of your nose. Capsaicin (which makes peppers spicy) provides a hot sensation, eucalyptol (the stuff that makes your mouthwash minty) provides a cold sensation, and the third channel can be used for something to reinforce those. A burning wood smell, for example, can make the heat of capsaicin feel more real. Part of the temperature illusion comes from our associations with capsaicin and eucalyptol, but the effect is enhanced because these excite the trigeminal nerve that is responsible for a great deal of the sensation in your face. In a limited study, most of the participants reported that these scents increased their level of immersion in a VR experience designed specifically to test them.

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Researchers at the Human Computer Integration lab at the University of Chicago have developed a way to augment our sense of smell with a small piece of nose-worn hardware that uses tiny electrical impulses to give us the power of directional smell.

    Digital Nose Stimulation Enables Smelling in Stereo
    https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/bionics/digital-nose-stimulation-enables-smelling-in-stereo

    Humans have two nostrils, which you’d think would allow us to determine the direction of smells, in the same way that two ears let us determine the direction of sounds. But that’s not how it works, sadly—humans, in general, are not stereo smellers. We can track down a smell by moving our head and body while sniffing, searching for increasing smell strength, but that’s much different from stereo smelling, which would allow us to localize smells based on different intensities wafting into each nostril.

    Branching off from earlier work accessing alternative physiological smelling systems, researchers at the Human Computer Integration lab at the University of Chicago have developed a way to augment our sense of smell with a small piece of nose-worn hardware that uses tiny electrical impulses to give us the power of directional smell.

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The company says it has developed a fermentation method to make the fungus into a food source “without the need for sun, rain, or soil.”

    Meat Alternative Made From Yellowstone Hot Spring Fungus Backed By Bill Gates And NASA
    https://www.iflscience.com/environment/meat-alternative-made-from-yellowstone-hot-spring-fungus-backed-by-bill-gates-and-nasa/

    Cutting out animal products from our diets is catching on with more and more people, whether for health or environmental reasons, so there is an increasing hunger for alternative protein sources. Investors such as Bill Gates and NASA have put their money where their mouth is to back a company making food out of a fungus from Yellowstone National Park hot springs.

    This micro-organism is a fungus named Fusarium strain flavolapis (if eating food made from fungus gives you the ick, you probably shouldn’t look up how a lot of processed meat is made). While this is not the first fungus-based meat alternative – Quorn has been serving up their mycoprotein for decades – this one is certainly intriguing.

    The company says it has developed a fermentation method to make the fungus into a food source “without the need for sun, rain, or soil.” They claim that “in just a few days, the filaments grow and interlace, forming a mat with a texture similar to muscle fiber.” After this, the resulting product, called Fy™, can be made into a solid, liquid, or powder. Nature’s Fynd also says that Fy™ can be made in space, which explains why NASA is interested.

    Nature’s Fynd also says that their products are better for the environment, using less greenhouse gases and water than other protein sources. It is also more efficient with land use, being 3.6 times more efficient than animals and 1.4 times more efficient than plants in terms of protein generated per acre – using a staggering 99 percent less land than beef production.

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Taste the TV: Japan invents lickable screen to imitate food flavours
    Prototype uses carousel of canisters to create flavour samples on hygienic film over flatscreen TV
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/23/taste-the-tv-japan-invents-lickable-screen-to-imitate-food-flavours

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A Japanese professor has developed a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate food flavours. The device is called Taste the TV (TTTV). Potential applications are said to include distance learning for sommeliers and cooks, and tasting games and quizzes.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/23/taste-the-tv-japan-invents-lickable-screen-to-imitate-food-flavours

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Netlicks? ‘The TV screen you can taste’
    https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59760490

    A prototype “lickable” TV screen which can mimic food flavours has been developed by a Japanese professor, Reuters reports.

    Dubbed Taste-the-TV, ten canisters spray flavour onto a “hygienic film” which is rolled over the screen for the viewer to lick.

    Professor Homei Miyashita of Meiji University, suggested it could be used to train cooks or sommeliers remotely,

    If made commercially, the TV would cost $875 (£735), he estimated.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Saline solution: Japan invents ‘electric’ chopsticks that make food seem more salty
    Device uses a weak current to artificially amplify the taste of salt, as part of efforts to reduce sodium levels in popular dishes

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/19/saline-solution-japan-invents-electric-chopsticks-that-make-food-seem-more-salty

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Electric Chopsticks Bring The Salt, Not The Pain
    https://hackaday.com/2022/04/21/electric-chopsticks-bring-the-salt-not-the-pain/

    The Japanese people love their salt, perhaps as much as Americans love their sugar high fructose corn syrup and caffeine. But none of these are particularly good for you. Although humans do need some salt in their diets to continue existing, the average Japanese person may be eating too much of it on a regular basis — twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organization, according to Reuters. Cue the invention of electric chopsticks, which provide salty flavor without the actual sodium.

    No, you won’t get shocked — not even a fresh 9 V to the tongue’s worth. The tips of the chopsticks are made of something food-safe and conductive, and one is wired to a bracelet that contains a small computer. Using a weak current, the chopsticks transmit sodium ions from the food to the tongue, which increases the perceived saltiness by 1.5x. The device was co-created by a Meiji University professor and a Japanese beverage maker, who hope to commercialize it sometime next year.

    Japan researchers develop electric chopsticks to enhance salty taste
    https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/japan-researchers-develop-electric-chopsticks-enhance-salty-taste-2022-04-19/

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Pulling Out Burger Flavor With A Magnet
    https://hackaday.com/2022/07/03/pulling-out-burger-flavor-with-a-magnet/

    If you’re vegetarian or don’t eat beef, you are probably already familiar with Impossible. Impossible meat tastes like beef and cooks like beef while being plant-based. They achieved this with significant R&D and a few special patents. But if you don’t want to pay Impossible prices, [Sauce Stash] has been trying to recreate some of the tricks that Impossible uses. (Video, embedded below.)

    The Secrets to making Impossible Meat at HOME
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQc77T9Bp2I

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The Oumph! Human Meat Burger PR campaign in Stockholm, meant to showcase that fake meat can taste like anything, won a Silver Prize at Cannes Lions Festival.

    Cannibals with a conscience rejoice: Fake human meat burgers are here
    https://www.insider.com/oumph-fake-human-meat-burger-winning-awards-cannes-lions-festival-2022-7?utm_campaign=sf-bi-ti&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com

    A plant-based company called Oumph! produced a burger they said tastes like human flesh.
    The company advertised the Human Meat Plant-Based Burger around Sweden last year during Halloween.
    “No humans were injured in the development of this product,” the company said.

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    FDA’s Approval Of Cell Culture Chicken: The Rise Of Fresh Meat Without The Animal?
    https://hackaday.com/2022/11/21/fdas-approval-of-cell-culture-chicken-the-rise-of-fresh-meat-without-the-animal/

    On November 14th of this year, the FDA cleared the path for Upside Foods to sell its cell-culture-based chicken products within the US. This is the first product of its kind to be cleared for commercial sale within the Americas, with only Singapore having previously cleared a similar product for sale, back in December of 2020.

    With CEO Josh Tetrick of Eat Just projecting price equality between their cultured meat and meat from animals by 2030, could the FDA’s approval herald the dawn of slaughter-free meat? There are obviously still hurdles.

    Opinions Remain Divided

    It should bear little repetition that not everyone agrees on the need for cultured meat, with alternatives based on plant proteins generally wheeled out as the obvious alternative to meat.

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The results were shockingly savory.

    Powered chopsticks use electricity to make food taste 50% saltier
    Researchers’ electric chopsticks claim to increase perceived saltiness of food.
    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/04/electric-chopsticks-stimulate-your-food-to-make-it-taste-50-saltier/?utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=ars&utm_source=facebook

    Reply

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