Food Simulator / Hiroo Iwata (JP)

Taste is the last frontier of virtual reality. Taste is very difficult to display because it is a multi-modal sensation composed of chemical substance, haptics and sound. Taste perceived by the tongue can be measured using a biological membrane sensor. It can easily be synthesized from five basic tastes. Olfactory display is not popular but flavor can be easily displayed using a vaporizer. The unsolved problem in taste display is in the area of haptics. We developed a novel interface to display biting force. It is designed to fit the user’s mouth. The haptic device is composed of a 1DOF (degree-of-freedom) mechanism, employing four linkages. The shape of the linkage enables the application of force to the back teeth. *Food Simulator* generates force according to the captured force of real food. A film-like force sensor is used to measure the force with which real food is bitten. A force sensor is installed in the *Food Simulator* and the device is actuated using the force control method. The profile of the biting force of the real food is realized by force control of the device.

 

Credit: tom mesic

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