{"id":114304,"date":"2020-06-25T13:56:13","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T17:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/?p=114304"},"modified":"2021-07-17T14:10:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T18:10:10","slug":"vr-you-can-taste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/vr-you-can-taste\/","title":{"rendered":"VR You Can Taste"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

\"VR<\/a>During the COIVD-19 lockdowns and social distancing, every generation<\/a> has increased the use of their devices to inform and distract more than ever before. Wouldn’t it be great if our devices could encompass all of our senses<\/b>? Well, that time is coming. Homei Miyashita<\/a> a researcher at Meiji University in Japan<\/a> has developed the Norimaki Synthesizer <\/strong>which can make the tongue sense taste without eating anything.<\/p>\r\n

\"It<\/a>It was once thought that the tongue had different regions with concentrations of specific taste buds for each taste. Now we know<\/a> that there are five basic tastes<\/strong> are sweet, sour (or acidic), salty, bitter, and umami. Bitter flavors are sharp, like coffee, unsweetened chocolate, or the peel of an orange or lemon. Umami is derived from the Japanese word for a pleasant savory taste, was added to the basic tastes group in 1990.<\/p>\r\n

Taste buds have a chemical reaction to food<\/h3>\r\n

Taste buds have tiny openings that take in very small amounts of whatever we\u2019re eating. Special \u201creceptor cells\u201d<\/strong> in the taste buds can then have a chemical reaction to the food<\/strong>, creating one of five basic tastes. The way these basic tastes combine creates the overall flavor of the food we\u2019re eating.<\/p>\r\n

SVCOnline<\/a><\/em> explains<\/a> a better understanding of how the tongue works is crucial to the new device<\/a>. In order to trick your tongue<\/strong>, the device uses electrolytes inserted into five gels<\/strong> that trigger the five different tastes when they make contact with the human tongue.\u00a0Gizmodo<\/a><\/em> reports the color-coded gels, made from agar formed in the shape of long tubes to create tastes. The device uses:<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n
  • \"five<\/a>Glycine<\/a> to create the taste of sweet,<\/li>\r\n
  • Citric acid<\/a> for acidic,<\/li>\r\n
  • Sodium chloride<\/a> for salty,<\/li>\r\n
  • Magnesium chloride<\/a> for bitter, and<\/li>\r\n
  • Glutamic sodium<\/a> for savory umami.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    The taste device<\/h3>\r\n

    When the device is pressed against the tongue, the user experiences all five tastes at the same time. But, by using a small box with sliding controls the amount of different tastes can be lowered, creating different flavors<\/strong>. Sadly, it can\u2019t produce the effect of spicy foods.<\/p>\r\n

    To create the different flavors the device is wrapped in copper foil<\/strong> so that when it\u2019s held in hand and touched to the surface of the tongue, it forms an electrical circuit through the human body<\/strong>, facilitating a technique known as electrophoresis<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

    \"\"<\/a>Electrophoresis is a process that moves molecules in a gel when an electrical current is applied. In this case, this process causes the ingredients in the agar tubes to move away from the tongue end of the tube, reducing the ability to taste them. It\u2019s a subtractive process that selectively removes tastes to create a specific flavor profile \u2013 from gummy bears to sushi.<\/p>\r\n

    The device\u2019s creator, Homei Miyashita, was inspired to create his \u201ctaste display\u201d by experiments that proved our eyes can be tricked into seeing something that technically doesn\u2019t exis<\/strong>t. He wondered if the red, green, or blue pixels that make up the screens on your smartphone, PC, and TV could fool the eye, could he create something that could fool the tongue<\/strong>? Mr. Miyashita used a similar \u201cpixel\u201d approach o trick the tongue.<\/p>\r\n