Japan- Homei Miyashita from Meji University has introduced a lickable TV Screen. A prototype TV Screen can mimic food flavours, Reuters reported. The TV screen canisters spray flavor onto a ‘’hygienic film’’. That is rolled over the screen for the audience to lick. Professor Homei suggested that it could be used to train cooks for someliers remotely. According to the professor, if the TV is prepared commercially, it would cost around $875 (£735). Talking to Reuters, he said, ‘’ The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home.’’

This likable device is called Taste the TV (TTTV) which comes with a film said to be hygienic. It is laid over the screen for the users to experience the flavours sitting in the comfort zone of their home. The professor works with a team of thirty students who develop multiple favour related products. This new device can be used in cooking shows and games to give users an actual food taste. Meiji University student, Yuki Hou, 22 demonstrated the TV for reporters telling the screen she wanted to taste sweet chocolate. She said, ‘’ It’s a kind of like milk chocolate, its sweet like a chocolate Sause. ‘’

Commercial Production

Professor Homei said that he is in talks with different manufacturers about other possible use of the flavour-spraying technology. For example as adding flavours to toast. Also, in times of Covid-19, it can change the way people connect with the outside world. He said, when you stay home during covid-19, you can watch videos taken from a place far away and talk to people who are far away, with your voice by using devices such as microphones and television sets, however, we couldn’t taste the food in the restaurant which are far away. When we stayed at home, which I thought was one issue brought up by Covid-19. I wanted to somehow make this (Food tasting) a reality so that people can experience various tastes of food that is far away while staying home. That was my motivation to develop this technology.’’

However, people wonder if this is the right time to launch lickable TV. This is not the first experiment, the professor and his students have produced a wide range of devices related to taste including ‘’ a fork that makes food taste rich’’. Meanwhile, the professor showed journalists the devices made by students.