The artificial tongue is made of ultra-thin layers of graphene oxide, which act like a molecular filter for taste-related ionic particles.
Beijing: Science has now taken a major step towards replicating human senses through machines. For the first time, scientists have developed an artificial tongue that can detect tastes in a fully liquid environment just like a human tongue. Researchers believe this technology could revolutionize food safety, disease diagnosis, and chemical analysis in the future.
The breakthrough was detailed in a study published on July 15 in the prestigious scientific journal PNAS. The artificial tongue is made of ultra-thin layers of graphene oxide, which act like a molecular filter for taste-related ionic particles. Instead of separating larger particles, these layers slow down the movement of ions, allowing the device to identify and record various tastes.
The most significant achievement of this technology is that it successfully integrates taste detection and information processing within a single liquid-phase system. Earlier methods relied on external computer systems to process the information, but this new system performs most of the processing directly in the liquid state, thereby improving accuracy.
In tests, the device showed impressive results — achieving 72.5% to 87.5% accuracy in identifying four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). For beverages with multiple flavors, such as coffee and cola, accuracy reached as high as 96%. According to researchers, the electrochemical composition of such complex drinks makes taste detection easier for the system.
Professor Yong Yan, from China’s National Center for Nanoscience and Technology and a co-author of the study, said:
“This discovery gives us a new direction for creating bio-inspired ionic devices. Our systems can operate in liquid environments and, like our nervous system, can perceive surroundings and process information simultaneously.”
Experts say this innovation could have wide-ranging applications:
- Food Safety: Automated testing of the quality and safety of food products.
- Disease Diagnosis: Early-stage detection of illnesses through chemical analysis.
- Laboratory Instruments: Integration into lab equipment for analyzing liquid samples.
The research is also being seen as a significant step toward neuromorphic computing — developing AI systems that mimic the brain’s learning processes.
