How often have you watched a food show on TV and the host tells you, “If only you could taste this.” However, there is some good news on that front because thanks to Professor Homei Miyashita of Meiji University, they have created a prototype display that lets you taste what’s on the screen when you lick it.
How this works is that ten canisters will spray flavor onto a “hygienic film” that will be placed over the screen. From there, users can then lick the screen to taste what’s being shown. The best part is that according to Miyashita, it is estimated that if made commercially, such a display wouldn’t cost that much and would be around $875.
Speaking to Reuters (paywall), Miyashita said, “The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home.” Miyashita goes on to state that he envisions a world where people could download “taste content”. So imagine you’re thinking of visiting a restaurant but you’ve never been there before, so the restaurant could create downloadable “taste content” that will give you a sneak peek.
It’s a very novel idea but it’s an interesting one. Whether or not there will be a lot of commercial value to such technology remains to be seen.
Filed in . Read more about Japan, Science and Social Hit. Source: bbc