It seems as though we’ve been hearing about “smell-o-vision” (that is, television technology that allows for the transmission of smells), for ages now. To be sure, such technology could have far-reaching implications. Imagine how futile your attempts at resistance would be if, say, a pizza delivery service could pipe in the smell of pizza during a TV commercial. Well, it appears scientists at the National University of Singapore may have done us one better: Using non-invasive electrical and thermal stimulation, they’ve created a device that simulates taste online.

Created by research leader Dr Nimesha Ranasinghe, the digital device can recreate the taste of virtual food and drinks by stimulating the tongue. This generates signals transmitted through a silver electrode touching the tip of the tongue to produce salty, sweet, sour and bitter sensations. By combining different levels of electrical currents and varying the temperature of the electrode, simulation of the tastes can be reproduced.

From experiments, sour, salty and bitter sensations were reported from electrical stimulation, while minty, spicy and sweet sensations were reported through thermal stimulation. The latter group represented minor sensations, requiring a little extra effort to intensify the tastes.

Of course, the researchers admitted that the surveys were dependent on the responses of the subjects. They varied for different individual, just as real tastes do in real life.

The research represents a giant step forward in the development of practical systems to introduce simulated tasted in an interactive virtual environment. Dr Ranasinghe said that the gaming industry might be an early adopter once the technology is further refined, using sweet tastes as a reward and bitter tastes as a penalty for failure. The healthcare industry might also find a use for the device, allowing diabetics, for instance, to get a taste of something sweet without altering blood sugar levels or ingesting artificial chemicals.

However, don’t give up on “smell-o-vision” just yet: The scientists say that because smell and texture play such a large role in the overall tasting experience, they’re looking to add those features in as the technology improves.