Does it have Christmas cookies in its program too?
A Japanese professor has developed a television that can bring the taste of food to the screen.
The device called Taste the TV (TTTV) is a further step on the way to a multi-sensory viewing experience. For the epicurean TV experience, the television uses a carousel with 10 aroma canisters, which are supposed to create the taste of a certain food. The taste test then rolls on a hygienic film over the flat TV screen, where the viewer can lick it off.
Professor Homei Miyashita shows how to fill the TV’s aroma canisters
And what’s the point? “Especially in times of corona, this type of technology can improve the way people come into contact and interact with the outside world,” says inventor Homei Miyashita, professor at Meiji University.
The goal is to give people the experience of eating in a restaurant on the other side of the world, even if they stay at home, explains Miyashita.
Possible applications of the taste television should also include distance learning for sommeliers and chefs, as well as quiz games.
At a demonstration in front of reporters, a Miyashita’s student told the screen that she wanted to try sweet chocolate. After a few tries, an automatic voice repeated the order and aroma nozzles sprayed a sample on the plastic film, which the student licked off. Allegedly the tasting was a sweet and chocolatey experience.
The format of the television is currently not really suitable for living rooms
The television is not the Japanese’s first tasty invention. Miyashita works with a team of around 30 students who have already developed a number of similar devices, including a fork that enhances the flavor of food.
So far the TTTV is still a prototype. A commercial version would cost about 100,000 yen to make.
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