Japanese Scientist Creates Taste the TV, A Screen That You Can Lick

Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita has spent his talents developing a way to connect the digital world to our physical tastebuds using a prototype TV that you can lick to get a taste of food flavours. It’s called Taste the TV, which uses a carousel of ten flavour canisters to create a combination spray that tastes like any particular food you want.

Taste the TV will spray the flavour sample that you want on a hygienic film over the display, and will roll out a new sheet of the disposable film after you’re done licking and tasting. Miyashita said that he wants to enhance the way people connect during the COVID-19 era, allowing people to bring the taste of restaurants into their home.

The professor said that he works with a team of 30 students on various taste-related products, including a fork that enhances flavours. The Taste the TV prototype was built by Miyashita himself, and he said a commercial version could be built for around 100,000 Japanese Yen (~RM3,600), which could be used for distance learning from cooks and tasting games.

Miyashita also said that he has been in talks with companies about using his spray technology for applications like a device that can apply a pizza or chocolate taste to a slice of toasted bread. He hopes to use his inventions to make a platform where tastes from around the world is made available to download just like music.

(Source: Reuters)