Scientists Develop a Device That Lets You Taste Video Games

Imagine slipping on a VR headset and finding yourself sitting in front of a gorgeous ice cream sundae. Using your motion controllers, you eat a large spoonful of this virtual vanilla ice cream—and while you can’t feel the coldness in your mouth, you can taste its familiar sweetness thanks to a remote tasting device on your lower teeth.

While this might seem like a gadget straight out of a sci-fi movie, a team of international researchers has indeed developed a new human-machine interface (HMI) that allows users to taste virtual flavors. Aptly named e-Taste, the device releases salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami chemicals directly into the user’s mouth in response to remote stimuli. As detailed in a study published today in the journal Science Advances, e-Taste could have a variety of applications, from video games to weight management.

Taste is one of the most difficult senses for machines to simulate in virtual and augmented reality, according to a statement from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. However, 16 human users in the study confirmed that e-Taste successfully reproduced tastes—including complex flavor combinations, such as those involved in chicken soup—and also delivered tastes at different intensities.

The device uses NaCl (salt) for salty flavors; citric acid for sour; glucose (a kind of sugar) for sweet; MgCl2 (a type of bitter salt) for—you guessed it—bitterness; and a chemical compound called glutamate for umami, also described as savoriness. e-Taste dispatches these chemicals in gel format through a tab that extends from the small device to the tongue.

An electromagnetic pump controls the delivery, coordinating with remote stimuli in what the researchers describe as an “Internet of Things” approach. According to the study, the device proved to be safe, versatile, and tunable, as well as resistant to any potential damage caused by biting—which is good, since the thing literally rests on your teeth.

“Potential applications include immersive gaming, online shopping, remote education, weight management, sensory testing, physical rehabilitation, and others,” the researchers, including engineer Shulin Chen from the Ohio State University, explained in the study.

Imagine the convenience of being able to taste something on a menu before ordering it. While ice cream shops frequently allow customers to try samples before committing to a final choice, you can’t exactly do that with steak or pasta. Though the study doesn’t outline this specific example (and video gamers are probably more excited about getting to taste blood next time Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion punches them in the mouth) a remote tasting device could be revolutionary for us indecisive diners.