Food texture display

Abstract

The food texture display is a haptic interface that presents biting force. The taste of food arises from combination of chemical, auditory, olfactory and haptic sensations. Haptic sensation while eating is an unsolved problem in taste display. The food texture display generates a force on the user's teeth to display food texture. The device is composed of four linkages. The mechanical configuration of the device is designed such that it fits into the mouth, with a force sensor attached to the end effector. The food texture display generates a force representing the force profile captured from the mouth of a person biting real food. Result of experiments showed that the device succeeded in presentation of different food textures.