Nearly as iconic as turkey and stuffing, Thanksgiving is a holiday known for travel delays. Everyone’s flying and driving and riding trains just as bad autumn weather turns wintery, and what would be a long weekend all too often turns into a long weekend sitting in a Chicago airport—all just so you can eat with your family.If you're sitting in some far-flung concourse, debating buying a seven-dollar Wolfgang Puck sandwich that was made four days ago, you might be wondering if there’s any way to get out of going through all of this again next year. Well guess what, Singapore is way ahead of you.Researchers from the National University of Singapore are working on a digital taste interface, which, rather than using chemicals to produce flavors, uses ”electrical and thermal stimulation methods” applied to the tongue.It sounds like the easiest flavor to get through this medium would be “9-volt battery bolognaise,” but the researchers say they’ve got salty, sweet, bitter and sour down, and from there it’s just a matter of proportions. Well, proportions and putting the silver diode that transfers flavor into a more elegant package.Nimesha Ranasignhe, a PhD research scholar and leader of the research team, sees a lot of practical applications the taste stimulator could fill.“People with diabetes might be able to use the taste synthesiser to simulate sweet sensations without harming their actual blood sugar levels. Cancer patients could use it to improve or regenerate a diminished sense of taste during chemotherapy,” he told New Scientist. “In a gaming environment we could come up with a new reward system based on taste sensations. For example, if you complete a game task successfully, or complete a level, we can give a sweet, minty or sour reward. If you fail we can deliver a bitter message."As someone who has long wondered if green, 1UP mushrooms taste better than the reds, I find this all pretty exciting. And if you’re reading this while stuck in an airport, I bet you can imagine other applications too.Next year, instead of buying a ticket on an inevitably delayed flight, just have Mom email over some gravy and tune into dinner via Skype.
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