Now you can taste things in the metaverse—if that’s your thing.
Scientists at the City University of Hong Kong created a gadget that looks like a lollipop, but does something far more interesting—it makes virtual reality tasteable.
The device, detailed in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses a process called iontophoresis to transport flavor-inducing ions through “agarose hydrogels.”
\When users lick the device, their saliva is mixed with food-grade chemicals to produce up to nine distinct flavors: sugar, salt, citric acid, cherry, passion fruit, green tea, milk, durian, and grapefruit. The flavor is enhanced by the stimulation of olfactory sensations.
“To realize both gustation and olfaction feedbacks in [the] metaverse, an olfaction interface based on 7-channel odor generators is also introduced into the gustation interface system,” the research team wrote. The device worked across virtual, augmented, and mixed reality environments.
The electrical current running through the system stayed under 2 volts—well below the 30-volt human safety threshold for electrical shock.
