swestrup: (Default)
swestrup ([personal profile] swestrup) wrote2003-08-02 05:52 am

Snore...

I should be asleep right now but I inexplicably woke up at 5:00 after only a few hours sleep and haven't managed to fall asleep again. I started reading some of my science-related e-mail and came across this:

Virtual Food Simulator

Its a device which can be placed in the mouth and can be chewed to produce various flavor and/or texture sensations. Some illistrative quotes are:

"When someone chews the device, a sensor registers the force of the bite and a motor provides appropriate resistance. To augment the experience, a thin tube squirts a mixture of flavourings onto the tongue. The chemicals stimulate the five basic taste sensations: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami - the taste of monosodium glutamate. Meanwhile, a tiny speaker plays back the sound of a chewing jawbone in the user's ear."

"The technology can also be entertaining - for the researcher at the controls, at least. By suddenly changing the properties of a food in mid-chew - from a cracker to a jelly, say - the result is uniquely funny, says Iwata."

yuck

[identity profile] taxlady.livejournal.com 2003-08-02 11:35 am (UTC)(link)
It might well be fun. But, I'm afraid of the weird chemical flavours that get squirted on the tongue.