In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka used a technology he called “Wonka Vision” to beam a chocolate bar through the airwaves onto a TV screen. While Wonka’s gadget remains a work of the imagination, new cutting-edge real-world technology is bringing us closer to immersive digital experiences that users can enjoy through taste.
That’s the promise of e-Taste, a new device that delivers tiny amounts of chemicals to simulate the five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory).
“We use five elements to create this taste spectrum,” said Yizhen Jia, from The Ohio State University, in an email to The Debrief. “So we can replicate … everything within these, like a lemonade, a soup, a coffee, etc. They are delivered by micropumps and a straw-like tube.”
Developed by researchers Shulin Chen, Jinghua Li, and Zhaoqian Xie, the e-Taste device rests discreetly on a user’s lower teeth. Through a gel tab, it releases taste compounds such as salt for saltiness or glucose for sweetness. A tiny pump controls the release, and the device is connected via the Internet to respond to real-time digital stimuli.
The Challenges of Digital Flavor Experiences
Taste is a rarely explored sense in virtual experiences, partly because it’s so complex. “Taste is not just taste—it comes with other stuff like smell and texture,” Jia explains.
Researchers began with a 16-person study to test e-Taste. The device proved safe, durable (even against mild biting), and capable of reproducing various flavors, including layered ones like chicken soup or lemonade. Potential applications range from gaming and online shopping to sensory therapy and even weight management.
“Gaming is to provide a more immersive experience by adding the aspect of taste, and for online shopping, it potentially lets you try your food before you buy it and lets you pick your favorite one,” says Jia. “The education is for like cooking torturials, and rehabilitation for like using it as a compensation or enhancement to real-life food.”
Ultimately, the goal goes beyond novelty. “The end goal for [bioengineers] isn’t just to make replicas of nature,” says Tae-il Kim, a bioengineer at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, “but also to understand why something works the way it does.
“That’s how we make technology that people not only want but also actually need—for example, by improving accessibility,” he added. “It’s all part of that long-time quest.”
The team’s study was published in Science Advances.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on The Debrief’s YouTube Channel on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton and at chrissynewton.com.