In the virtual reality universe, sound and sight have been easy to recreate. The touch has been simulated and even the smell has recently arrived, but taste was an area that resisted. Until now.
A team of biomedical engineers and scientists who are experts in virtual reality have developed an interface, a lollipop-like device to simulate flavor in a virtual environment. The results have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The device is designed to look like a regular lollipop. When the user licks the mechanical lollipop, it is supposed to feel and taste like they are licking a real one. The researchers incorporated bags into the device containing small amounts of agarose gel (a polysaccharide made from certain algae). A small amount of voltage (just 2 V) activates the chemicals in the gel, forcing it to rise to the surface of the lollipop. When the gel mixes with saliva in the user’s mouth, it produces flavor.
The authors, led by Yiming Liu, added nine lollipop bags with gels containing salt, sugar, cherry, citric acid, green tea, passion fruit, grapefruit, durian and milk. The quantity supplied depends on the applied voltage. Various flavors can be generated by varying the amounts of the different ingredients.
Testing of the device showed that it worked almost as well as expected. Liu’s team suggests that The device could be useful in three main scenarios: taste tests by doctors, online shopping experiences in supermarkets, and specialized environments where children can try different flavors, perhaps as part of a virtual reality game.
On the other hand, Liu’s team recognizes that their system, like other attempts to add flavor to virtual reality environments, is limited by the amount of flavor the lollipop can hold, usually about an hour. The team plans to look for ways to increase the number of flavors and make the lollipop last much longer before it needs to be refilled.