Virtual reality: It’s what’s for dinner
The way it works: You put on the headset and you're transported to an interesting location, which is probably the most normal element of this exercise.
Also on the table are several other devices. One is an "aromatic diffuser," which has a tube sticking out of it that blasts food aromas at you. Another is a "bone conduction transducer" that wraps around the back of your head to mimic the sounds and vibrations of chewing. There's a cup for drinking. Finally, there's a utensil shaped like tweezers. For eating.
Put all those items together, and you could be eating sushi in Japan, or be having a simulated food experience totally foreign to this world.
"There is no demand for an application like this, nobody will use it, and I'm shocked that it will attract any funding at all," said Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities.
Or maybe it's so weird it just might work.
Eating too much chocolate? Try Project Nourished.
"Flavor is about 80 percent aroma and 20 percent taste," said Robert McGorrin, department head of Oregon State's Food Science and Technology department.
So, could Project Nourished help kick-start a new Willy Wonka-like magical food revolution? It will need to convince a lot of people.
Project Nourished is still working on its recipes, whose ingredients An said are "massaged" every day. The starter kit, available for preorder online for $59.84 and shipping this summer, is a "smell module." The devices that replicate the sensation of eating will follow in the latter part of 2016.
See the full story here: http://www.cnet.com/news/virtual-reality-its-whats-for-dinner/