Scientists are working on a device that could potentially allow you to taste virtual reality. With far ranging applications from gaming to gustatory rehabilitation, this new technology, dubbed e-Taste, can recreate a taste sensation for a user without the actual stimulus. Led by materials science and engineering researchers at Ohio State, this device employs biosensors and electromagnetic pumps to receive data from taste chemicals and then transmit the signals to the pumps which release some chemicals that recreate different tastes.
How does this actually work?
The device looks like a small (about half an inch long) box attached to a thin clear strip. A user places the strip portion on the tongue, and when an item with a specific taste appears in the virtual environment (such as in a game), the sensor box recognizes it. It then releases some combination of refillable liquid packs in its store to reconstruct that taste. According to coauthor Jinghua Li, “based on the digital instruction, you can also choose to release one or several different tastes simultaneously so that they can form different sensations.” The five tastes that are currently being used to form these combinations include salt, citric acid (for sour), glucose (for sweet), MgCl2 (for bitterness), and glutamate (for umami).
Further applications
Some limitations of this initial version of e-Taste include the diversity of tastes it can provide. Specifically, it cannot currently bring up spiciness or fattiness to name a few. However, Li and the other researchers on the team are confident they can expand their taste repertoire as well as be able to replicate smell and texture soon.
While this technology seems fascinating from a metaverse perspective, many scientists also see its value in medical applications. In fact, Scientific American postulates that e-Taste’s capabilities like “emulating our tongue’s sensory functions and quantifying taste in chemical terms, could have extensive medical applications—such as wearable devices that people could use to make daily checks for health-related abnormalities.” e-Taste has already mastered one of the key concerns with bioengineering innovations––creating something that works easily with our bodies without having to account for bulky, difficult contraptions that take time to set up and regulate. The researchers have deeply considered what it means for a user to rely on such a device regularly, even making it resistant to biting from daily use. The uses of this technology are particularly clear in recent years after recognizing the effects of Long Covid in gustatory loss.
