Japanese professor creates lickable TV

A Japanese professor has developed a prototype of a TV screen that can be licked to simulate food flavors, another step towards creating a multi-sensory viewing experience.

Source: Reuters

The device, called Taste the TV (TTTV), uses a conveyor belt of 10 aromatherapy cartridges that combine to create the taste of a specific food. The taste samples were then rolled onto a sanitary film on a flat TV screen for viewers to taste.
In the COVID-19 era, this kind of technology can enhance the way people connect and interact with the outside world, said professor Homei Miyashita of Meiji University.
“The aim is to make it possible for people to experience something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while at home,” he said.
Miyashita works with a group of about 30 students who have produced a variety of taste-related devices, including forks that make food taste better. He said he has built the TTTV prototype himself in the past year, and a commercial version will cost around 100,000 yen ($875).

Source: Reuters

Potential uses for the TV include distance learning for cooks and cooks, tasting games and quizzes, the professor said.Miyashita has also been in talks with companies about using its spray technology for other applications, like a device that can flavor pizza or chocolate for a slice of… toast.

Source: Reuters

He also hopes to create a platform where users can download and enjoy culinary tastes from around the world, just like music is today.A student at Meiji University demonstrated TTTV to reporters, by telling the screen that she wanted to taste sweet chocolate. After a few tries, the same automated voice over and over again, flavor rays spread a pattern onto a plastic plate.

Source: Reuters

"It's like milk chocolate," she says. "It's as sweet as chocolate sauce."