Drooling over food displayed on your TV screens appears to be a thing of the past, as there will be no more late-night cravings just because you saw a bowl of hot ramen or some chicken nuggets commercial on TV. A Japanese professor decided to change this by inventing a lickable television prototype. These screens are designed to mimic the flavors of the food displayed on your television screens. The device is known as Taste the TV, according to Reuters (TTTV). The underlying mechanism of this new technology is that it sprays a mixture of flavors from ten canisters onto a sheet of film that is rolled over a TV or tablet screen, which users can then lick to taste a specific food. Chemicals are sprayed in combinations that recreate the flavor onto a rolling plastic sheet (or a disposable tray for those who don’t feel comfortable licking a plastic-covered screen). The sheet is then rolled out over the display so you can lick those sweet chemicals before being rolled away for easy disposal.
Miyashita created the prototype last year, and it is expected to cost around $875. Researchers blended various foods and used sensors to taste them, according to a demonstration video. The canisters spray various flavors in a combination to achieve the desired flavor profile. The video also shows how the TTTV makes use of this. For example, you could flavor toast or crackers, or even make your food taste completely different. The video demonstrates a variety of practical applications for TTTV, such as a menu that gives you an idea of what the food will taste like, a way to train wine testers, and a device that allows you to flavor crackers. Also read, With the Updates, TCL Resumes Selling its Google TVs Miyashita also told Reuters about other potential applications for this lickable TV, such as distance learning classes for chefs. Also read, iQOO Neo 5s Will Launch with a Pressure-Sensitive Screen