A new innovation in virtual reality could change the way people experience digital worlds.
Scientists at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a device that brings taste into the metaverse.
This gadget, resembling a lollipop, allows users to experience various flavours in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality environments.
The small device uses a technique called iontophoresis, which sends flavour-inducing ions through a special hydrogel when the user licks it.
As their saliva mixes with food-grade chemicals, up to nine distinct flavours can be experienced, including sugar, salt, citric acid, cherry, passion fruit, green tea, milk, durian, and grapefruit.
This taste is enhanced further with olfactory feedback.
As the researchers noted,
"To realise both gustation and olfaction feedbacks in [the] metaverse, an olfaction interface based on 7-channel odor generators is also introduced into the gustation interface system."
Despite its size, weighing just 15 grams—about the same as a Tootsie Pop—the device packs a lot of technology.
The team used ultra-thin printed circuit boards and a 3D-printed nylon casing to house components such as a lithium-ion battery, microcontroller, and Bluetooth module.
The device measures 8x3x1 cm, making it easy to integrate into any virtual reality setup.
Users can even adjust the intensity of the flavours by altering the voltage.
The gadget works seamlessly across various virtual reality platforms, allowing users to interact with both the physical and digital worlds.
Motion sensors track the device’s location and ensure that the user’s actions in the physical world align with their experience in the virtual world.
However, the flavour-producing gel lasts only about an hour before it needs to be replaced.
Looking ahead, the team plans to expand the range of flavours available, with hopes of offering up to 100 different taste sensations in future models.
Yet, some technical challenges remain, such as extending the lifespan of the flavour gels and refining the smell delivery system.
This new development is part of a larger effort to enhance the immersive experience in virtual reality through all the senses.
In addition to taste, researchers are working on haptic devices that allow users to feel textures and environmental conditions.
For example, origami-inspired devices simulate the feel of surfaces like concrete or grass by folding and adjusting.
A wireless interface offers sensations of roughness and temperature through mechanical and electrotactile feedback.
Another device, known as the "Grabity" glove, uses vibration feedback to simulate weight and stiffness.
Some researchers are even experimenting with direct brain stimulation to simulate physical sensations.
In a medical research breakthrough, a study showed that synchronized visual, auditory, and proprioceptive cues could trigger the brain’s somatosensory cortex, producing the feeling of phantom touch in virtual reality.
While this finding is crucial for medical applications, such as alleviating phantom limb pain, it could also have a recreational use, further increasing the appeal of VR to global audiences.
By bringing taste, touch, and other sensory elements to the virtual world, the technology aims to create a richer, more engaging experience.
As the metaverse continues to evolve, these advances could bring people closer together, offering new ways to share immersive moments.
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