
Norimaki Synthesizer: Taste Display Using Ion Electrophoresis in Five Gels - homarp
https://research.miyashita.com/papers/I42
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rladd
This works on "tastes" at the lowest level definition of "taste", in other
words tongue sensations. But what we think of as "taste" is actually a
combination of this and of smell or aroma.

Smell is much more complex and relies on detection of the shape of the
particles by the olfactory receptors (see: [http://cst.ufl.edu/taste-vs-
flavor-whats-the-difference.html](http://cst.ufl.edu/taste-vs-flavor-whats-
the-difference.html)).

It could be possible to simulate different aromas with a fairly small number
of scent molecules, and there has been some work in that direction (see:
[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227512326_Aroma_sim...](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227512326_Aroma_simulation_on_the_basis_of_the_odourant_composition_of_roasted_coffee_headspace)),
but no successful commercial product has ever been launched (that I'm aware
of) based on this technologly.

So while interesting, this 'taste synthesizer' and anything like it is not
going to enable anyone to taste anything that really tastes like a food.

~~~
dogma1138
Isn’t John Carmack working on smell for VR?

That said I wonder what would come first these external stimuli emulator or a
neural link, by passing the external sensor seems to be the most
straightforward way even if it’s much more complex on paper.

~~~
cjhveal
It's my guess that early brain-machine interface is going to require a fair
amount of training and conditioning to interpret information across the
interface. I think attempting to locate, isolate, and stimulate specific
nerves that carry these sensation is going to be way more difficult than just
exciting the receptors at the ends of those nerves. I'd anticipate "displays"
emulating external stimuli preceding brain-machine interfaces.

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wbeckler
The device looks like a big roll of norimaki, but there's another angle on the
use of sushi for this project. Sushi is unique among savory foods in that it
is usually eaten at room temperature. The lower serving temperature means that
sushi emits fewer volatile esters, hence less smells, at least before chewing
starts. The lower initial odors of sushi are one of the reasons that the look
of sushi is so important: the colors and symmetry trigger the salivary glands
in lieu of savory smells.

To create a device that simulates flavors but not smells, it makes sense to
start with foods where flavor is more important relative to smell versus other
foods.

~~~
taneq
> Sushi is unique among savory foods in that it is usually eaten at room
> temperature.

What? There are heaps of savoury foods served at room temperature. Antipasto,
salads, cold cured meats, etc.

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anfractuosity
There's also a device consisting of an electrode array for the tongue to
attempt to provide an additional sense:

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5523951/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5523951/)

"Tactile Vision Substitution (TVS) was the initial motivation for designing
the TDU. With TVS, a user-controlled video camera captures a real-time image
from the ambient environment and provides a spatially-corresponding tactile
stimulation to the user’s skin."

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scottishcow
Japan has a long history of appreciating quirky (often useless) inventions, I
think there’s a certain aesthetic quality to these gadgets that resists easy
definition.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chindōgu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chindōgu)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiro_Nakamatsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiro_Nakamatsu)

------
karmakaze
It's funny how it's called a 'Display' like it's for the eyes.

It should be called a 'setup' or taste smorgasbord.

~~~
staycoolboy
I think we've encountered a vocabulary black-hole.

And after reading the actual article, Norimaki doesn't quite roll of the
tongue but I see where the author was headed.

~~~
voxelghost
I mean there are braille displays which are intended to be read with your
fingers.

Hopefully the norimaki taste display, will soon be followed by the kimchi
odorphone.

~~~
karmakaze
The naming braille display makes more sense than most. They do replace a text
output terminal and even work very much like a raster display with small
height dimension. The users of the devices also probably also map sensing of
it to parts of their visual cortex.

With sight being the most developed sense, we often default to language that
refers to it. And many people are visual learners. We have expressions like "I
see what you mean" being used to communicate technical matters and "I feel
you" or "I hear what you're saying" to convey more emotional things. "I get
what you mean" or just "I get you" can be used for either.

Even when studying Human-Machine-Interfaces and ergonomics in school, we were
always talking about displays and controls. It's no wonder we have
touchscreens for everything now. I wonder if we're going to get a generation
who don't know what it's like to drive by feel and sound and smells of burning
oil and rubber or other things with non-visual feedback loops. Perhaps another
good reason to learn to play an instrument.

