scientist have developedartificial pelt , artificial eye , and are even in the forward motion of design anartificial " brain"(of sorts ) for the US armed services . Meanwhile , researchers from the University of Glasgow have been working on an artificial tongue for the uncomplicated ( and wholesome ) aim of whisky smack .
They describe their invention in the Royal Society of Chemistry ’s journalNanoscale .
This is n’t the man ’s first artificial tongue but it is the first individual stilted tongue made with two case of nanoscale metal " tastebuds " – a feature that improves its taste - examination ability and enables it to offer more information on the sample distribution it tastes , and quicker too .
" We call this an artificial tongue because it acts similarly to a human tongue – like us , it ca n’t identify the individual chemicals that make coffee predilection different to orchard apple tree succus but it can easily tell the difference between these complex chemical mixtures , " precede source Alasdair Clark from the University of Glasgow ’s School of Engineering say ina statement .
So , how precisely does it work ? It use the optical property of gold and aluminum . Sub - microscopical slices of the metallic element are woven together to form a checker board pattern . When they are submerge in a liquidity , tiny differences in the ways the two metal engross Light Within enables them to specialize between different types of whisky .
The foxily set amber and atomic number 13 slices are the hokey tastebuds in the artificial tongue , and are roughly 500 time low than their human being counterparts .
imposingly , the machine is able-bodied to " savour " differences between boozing with a great than 99 pct accuracy . Not only can it tell you your Glenfiddich from your Glen Marncoch or your Laphroaig , but it can also identify differences in the same whiskey based on its age ( i.e. has it been senesce in a barrel for 12 , 15 or 18 years ? ) .
And although the study was ground on whisky savouring , the tongue could be used to smack somewhat much any type of liquid state you’re able to imagine of . This could enable authorisation to snuff out counterfeit alcohol , test the guard and tone of intellectual nourishment , test toxins in public waterway , as well as amend security – " really any area where a portable , recyclable method acting of tasting would be utilitarian . "
Or if you ’re one of those hoi polloi whohas a concern of being poisoned , it could open up a new world of delectable treats .
