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Digital lollipop

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A digital lollipop is an electronic device that synthesizes virtual tastes by stimulating the human tongue with electric currents. The device is capable of producing four of the primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Digital lollipops were developed through research led by Nimesha Ranasinghe at the National University of Singapore.[1][2][3]

Design

According to Ranasinghe, "The system is capable of manipulating the properties of electric currents (magnitude, frequency, and polarity: inverse current) to formulate different stimuli. Currently, we are conducting experiments to analyze regional differences of the human tongue for electrical stimulation."[1][4]

The devices generate alternating current signals through a sliver electrode, stimulating the tongue's taste receptors to emulate the major taste components. It also produces small, varying amounts of heat to simulate food.[4]

Eventually, the digital lollipop could aid Alzheimer's patients by helping them "either enhance or suppress certain senses" and may also allow people with diabetes to experience sweetness without increasing their blood sugar levels.[2][5] The National University of Singapore research team is developing Taste Over Internet Protocol (TOIP) that would allow taste information to be communicated between locations.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Jivanda, Tomas (November 22, 2013). "Digital lollipop simulates taste through electric currents". The Independent. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Mohney, Gillian (November 25, 2013). "Digital 'Lollipop' Will Zap Tongue With Flavor". ABC News. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  3. ^ "Digital Lollipop". Nimesha Ranasinghe. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Marks, Paul (November 20, 2013). "Electrode recreates all four tastes on your tongue". New Scientist. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  5. ^ Chanel, Sunny (November 30, 2013). "Say Goodbye to the Sugar Rush? Scientists Develop Digital Lollipop". Babble. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  6. ^ Anthony, Sebastian (November 28, 2013). "The digital lollipop: Simulating sweetness, for dietary, gaming, and health greatness". Extreme Tech. Retrieved December 1, 2013.

Further reading

  • Nimesha Ranasinghe, Hideaki Nii, Adrian Cheok, Ryohei Nakatsu, Ponnampalam Gopalakrishnakone, Digital Taste Lollipop: Studying Electrical Stimulation on Human Tongue to Simulate the Sensation of Taste, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (Elsevier), Jan 2013
  • Nimesha Ranasinghe, Ryohei Nakatsu, Nii Hideaki, and Ponnampalam Gopalakrishnakone, Tongue Mounted Interface for Digitally Actuating the Sense of Taste, in Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC), June 2012, pp. 80–87. doi:10.1109/ISWC.2012.16, ISSN 1550-4816
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