Digital lollipop lets you taste over the Internet
Sending small, accurate electric impulses into the tongue and varying temperatures, scientists have managed to create digital versions of four basic tastes.
Scientists from the National University of Singapore aim to study how taste impressions can be digitally recreated. So far, the scientists have managed to isolate five different basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami, which is often described as "satisfying meatiness". The scientists from Singapore have developed a digital lollipop, which uses the fact that our taste buds can be activated by electrical impulses and temperature changes on the tongue. When test subjects touch a small thermoelectric element with their tongues, the device can produce sour, sweet, salty, and bitter tastes. The test subjects also experience a very spicy taste at a temperature of 35 degrees, and a taste of mint, when the temperature is approximately 18 degrees. According to Nimesha Ranasinghe, who heads the project, the digital lollipop could one day be used to taste food virtually over the Internet, before ordering it.