Digital Taste Interface

Tutter writes with news that Smellovision is being joined in reality by Tasteovision. "Possible applications in healthcare and gaming — it works by using electrodes on your tongue to stimulate salty, sweet, bitter and sour. It can produce the taste of virtual foods or drinks, allowing you to enjoy the taste without the calories (or chewing...). They are also good reasons to do this, for example, a diabetic can now taste sweets without actually affecting their blood sugar levels. Quote: 'The team is also working on a spin-off called a digital lollipop that will give the effect of a continuous sugar hit – but without sugar. For taste messaging they have developed TOIP — Taste Over Internet Protocol. This is a data format that makes it easy to transmit information on how to recreate the different tastes via the electrode. ... It is early days. The four major taste components, plus the fifth, the savoury 'umami' tang, are only a part of what we call flavor. Smell and texture are important, too — and the team now wants to work on adding those effects.' A video on youtube shows what it can do."

Comments

Diabetics

[Anonymous Coward]

a diabetic can now taste sweets without actually affecting their blood sugar levels

Who says the taste of sweets won't affect your blood sugar levels?

Re:Diabetics

[MrBigInThePants]

They are struggling to find a scenario in which this technology is anything other than an empty (and almost certainly expensive) gimmick.

You are correct. Research shows that just the taste of sweet things can cause insulin reactions etc.

I am also amused that a youtube video can "show" me what it can do....

Re:Diabetics

[barfy]

There is good reason to believe that sweet testing things cause insulin production, especially because certain items, especially sugars start making it into your blood stream prior to ingestion. This is the believed source of the diet coke makes you fat syndrome. It causes insulin response because of sweetness, gating existing blood sugar into cells for storage. Lowering blood sugar which needs to be replaced making you eat, eat sooner, eat more often, eat energy dense foods. If they are ONLY testing blood sugar response on diabetics, you may find that it DOESN'T affect blood sugar, because they are diabetic. Where this makes a world of difference is in pre-diabetics. Those that already have too much stored in their body, but have either yet to max out, or that the insulin production in their body hasn't already been damaged.

Re:Doubt it

[icebike]

Yes, that's what it seemed like to me.
I suspect there is a tongue covering device in the mouth to send the electrical to the proper receptors.

As for TOIP, (taste over internet protocol), I think I'll pass. I still can't get Goatse out of my eyes, I'll be damned if I want it in my mouth.

Re:Oh boy!

[locopuyo]

Bacon flavored sperm

Imagine the possibilities

[Dunbal]

If this was real, I can see trolling entering a whole new dimension. Here - taste this....