Scientists Develop Electronic Tongue to Give AI Taste-Based Decision-Making

A team of researchers from Penn State University has unveiled an interesting pioneering project: developing an electronic tongue that could transform how AI systems understand our emotional relationship with food.

A report shared by TechXplore tells us that this new frontier in AI, called "gustatory emotional intelligence," aims to bridge the gap between our physical needs and psychological desires, potentially revolutionizing fields like weight management and personalized dining experiences.

Bringing the Emotional Part to AI

Human behavior has always been a complex interplay between physiological requirements and psychological cravings.

While AI has made remarkable advancements in recent years, it often overlooks the emotional aspects of decision-making.

"The main focus of our work was how could we bring the emotional part of intelligence to AI," explained Saptarshi Das, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State.

About How We Eat

This innovative project started with a quest to mimic how taste influences our food choices based on both needs and wants.

What we eat is significantly influenced by gustation, which involves our sense of taste guiding us toward our preferred flavors. This goes beyond mere hunger, the physiological drive to eat.

"If you are someone fortunate to have all possible food choices, you will choose the foods you like most," Das explained. "You are not going to choose something that is very bitter, but likely try for something sweeter, correct?"

The Electronic Tongue

The researchers created an artificial gustatory system to bridge this gap between physical need and psychological desire. At its core are tiny, graphene-based electronic sensors called chemitransistors, capable of detecting chemical molecules.

These sensors are combined with memtransistors, specialized transistors that remember past signals, made with molybdenum disulfide.

This combination allows the researchers to design an "electronic gustatory cortex" that connects a physiology-driven "hunger neuron," psychology-driven "appetite neuron," and a "feeding circuit."

For instance, when the device detects salt, it senses sodium ions, effectively "tasting" salt, explained Subir Ghosh, a doctoral student in engineering science and mechanics and co-author of the study.

This artificial gustatory system is versatile enough to mimic all five primary taste profiles: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.

The Future of Taste

The potential applications of this technology are vast. One of the most exciting prospects is AI-curated diets based on emotional intelligence.

Imagine an AI system that not only knows your dietary restrictions but also understands your cravings and emotional connections to food.

But the researchers' ambitions does not stop here. They plan to expand the electronic tongue's taste range by creating arrays of graphene devices that mimic the thousands of taste receptors on our tongues.

In essence, the development of this electronic tongue represents a remarkable leap toward creating AI systems that not only understand our physical needs but also resonate with our emotional desires.

With the potential to revolutionize how we approach nutrition, dining, and even sensory perception in AI, the future of technology is indeed a taste-driven one.

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