It's time for robots to take over the kitchen, but not in the way you might think. Go ahead, Alexa, the next smart device could be language.
Taste testing has traditionally been reserved for humans, as the experience of taste usually requires the tongue. Thanks to new technology, robots could be taste-testing tongues.
Researchers are already developing electronic languages, according to robotics company SynTouch. Chefs can use these robotic tongues to perfect a recipe or identify the perfect ratio of ingredients in a recipe. Instead of sticking out of the robot's mouth like a human tongue, robotic tongues act as thermometer-like probes.
We usually think of taste as an experience, but taste can also tell if a food is safe. The problem is that humans have to partially consume something to taste it. This can be dangerous for someone with severe food allergies. For example, a person with a peanut allergy cannot try foods with unknown ingredients without risking an adverse reaction and/or death. A robot, on the other hand, would not be harmed by anything it tasted, not even poison. He would only report what he knew to be true.
For people with severe food allergies, having a wearable robotic tongue can be a lifesaver.
Robotic languages can keep food manufacturers honest.
An accurate robotic language would be a boon to organizations that govern the use of labels such as organic and gluten-free. A robotic tongue would prevent food manufacturers from hiding harmful ingredients without labeling them. While humans can be easily fooled by ingredients they can't taste, robots can be programmed to pick out individual ingredients that even the most expert taste tester can't tell apart.
When all ingredients can be accurately identified with a simple probe, the entire food industry should be transparent.
Researchers face a major hurdle.
A major dilemma facing researchers is how to communicate their experience to these tasting robots. A robot can taste your grandmother's cornbread and recognize the secret ingredients, but how will it explain what it tastes like? Part of reporting taste essentially involves reporting other sensory inputs such as pressure, temperature, texture, and even smell. All these sensory experiences are part of taste.
Robots are no strangers to the food industry.
Although robotic tongues are a new adventure in robot land, robots are not new to the food industry. Many restaurants have tried to use robots in food preparation and delivery but have failed. One robotic food startup is doing well, though.
A San Francisco burger joint called Creator uses robots to create the freshest possible burgers on demand. The burger is not ground and the ingredients are not chopped until you place your order. It's a neat operation that takes about five minutes from start to finish. So far, it's going well.
The only thing missing is a robotic tongue to electronically verify the freshness and quality of finished products. While the burgers look great, it's hard to imagine anyone waiting to taste a robot burger. Perhaps robotic languages are best reserved for other situations.
Robots are capable of feeling more than humans.
The human tongue has about 10,000 taste buds that detect different groups of tastes: salty, sour, sweet, bitter or umami. It is simply a data input sent to the brain. Similarly, robotic tongues are designed to detect salts, sugars and other chemicals and then process the chemical structure to identify the corresponding taste.
The difference is that humans can bite into a cheeseburger and immediately know it's a cheeseburger. A robot would need to process each flavor before it could determine that the food was a cheeseburger, and that could be complicated.
Researchers believe that robots can and will one day be equipped with a wider range of senses than human capabilities. Taste is one of those senses. Although robotic languages cannot yet recognize
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