The “last frontier of virtual reality,” taste, has been crossed.

To record taste experience, a thin-film force sensor is placed in a subject’s mouth to record chewing forces, biological sensors made of lipid and polymer membranes record the major chemical constituents of the food’s taste, and a microphone records audible vibrations produced in the jawbone while chewing.

These parameters serve as inputs to the food simulator, which simulates the forces and sounds of chewing and squirts a mixture of flavorings onto the tongue. The researchers say the device is perfect for people designing new foods.