New tech can create tastes in virtual reality

Scientists have developed a system that creates 'virtual taste' by controlling neurons with light.

The system was successfully applied on flies, enabling them to experience sweet taste while feeding on bland gelatinous goo.

The tool optoPAD, developed by researchers from Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal, combines two high-tech elements.

The first is optogenetics, a powerful method that uses light to control the activity of neurons -- turn them "on" or "off".

In the experiments, flies found the bland food more appetising because its sweet-sensing neurons were activated by exposure to green light.

The second element of the optoPAD is an additional system, previously developed in the lab, called flyPAD.

"The flyPAD uses touchscreen-type technology to monitor the fly's feeding behaviour. Just like your phone is able to detect the touch of your finger on the screen, flyPAD is able to detect whenever the fly touches the food," said Jose-Maria Moreira, one of the researchers in the ...