'Augmented Reality' Candy Lets You Taste Fireworks (VIDEO)
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Have you ever wanted to taste fireworks? With the Tag Candy augmented reality device, you can experience the sensation of fireworks in your mouth as you suck on a lollipop.
Keio University's Yasuaki Kakehi Laboratory recently showcased Tag Candy at the SFC Open Research Forum 2010 in Tokyo and invited conference attendees to test the device, DigInfo reports.
As explained in the video (below), a piece of candy is inserted into the handheld base unit, which is equipped with a sensor that detects when a person's mouth touches the candy. A vibration speaker emits a programmed sensation, that of fizzy soda or fireworks exploding, and transmits these vibrations through the candy. "When your tongue touches the vibrating candy, you receive a sensation, and when your teeth touch the candy, you hear a sound through bone conduction," said Junichi Yamaoka, a member of the Yasuaki Kakehi Lab team.
In the future, the creators of Tag Candy hope to develop more sensations and even share them on the Internet.
The Yasuaki Kakehi Lab team's work on Tag Candy earned them the Japan VR Society Award and the DCEXPO ConTEX Award at this year's International Student Virtual Reality Contest, according to DigInfo.
Watch the video to see how Tag Candy works, and tell us which augmented reality food textures you'd want to try.
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The Huffington Post Catharine Smith First Posted: 12/03/10 12:13 PM ET Updated: 05/25/11 07:15 PM ET