Researchers have come up with new facial electrodes which allow users to enjoy the taste of virtual food. The taste simulator can produce sweet, sour, salty, and bitter sensations. Similarly, a spoon has also been developed which can intensify the taste of food.

Nimesha Ranasinghe, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, is behind both these developments. He stated that he faced problems using this technique to simulate sweet taste. The obstacle led him and his colleague Ellen Yi-Luen Do to use thermal stimulation for the purpose of imparting tastes to virtual foods.

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The team developed a small box with Peltier elements, which are a grid of thermoelectric solid-state devices. These elements can cool or heat the tongue quickly in a controlled manner. The duo stated that half of the participants felt mild sweetness on their tongue after using this device.

The experiment involves placing the tongue on the box. Some participants also reported feeling minty taste at a cooler temperature of nearly 18-degree C while others tasted spiciness at the warmer temperature of 35-degree C.

The researchers demonstrated their findings at the 2016 ACM User Interface Software and Technology Symposium (UIST) in Tokyo, Japan. "I think the main advantage is to increase the immersion inside the virtual environment," Ranasinghe said.

The researchers plan to use their findings to develop specialized utensils. These containers may add extra taste to bland foods. For example, a cup may be designed which can artificially increase the sweetness of the food without extra sugar. This finding can go a long way to help people who have lost their sensation for taste.