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Squirty gels bring the taste of cake and coffee to virtual reality

Potential applications include immersive gaming and sensory rehabilitation

a composite with a women holding a phone in front of her mouth. the phone has an image of a smiley face with tongue out.

A new device can replicate food flavors in virtual reality by squirting chemicals onto the tongue.

Deagreez/Getty Images (photo) Yevhen Borysov/Getty Images (illustration)

By Simon Makin

Imagine seeing cake in a virtual world, then tasting it. Researchers have taken a step toward that reality with a device that delivers virtual tastes by squirting chemicals onto the tongue.

The system, called “e-Taste,” can detect chemicals in foodstuffs and wirelessly transmit this information to a device that delivers the same or equivalent chemicals to a user’s tongue.