Paris AFP Spanish researchers created an “electronic tongue” capable of distinguishing different varieties of beer by taste, which is the first step to creating a robot equipped with this capability.
The prototype, unveiled by the journal Food Chemistry, has an accuracy level of 82%.
“Based on the workings of human language and the ultra sensitive buds, the concept of electronic tongue is to use a palette of generic sensors that react to a series of specific chemical components,” explained Manuel del Valle, one of the authors of the study chemist and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The “electronic tongue” consists of 21 ion electrodes that react to different substances such as ammonium, sodium, nitrates or chlorides.
The spectrum of signals generated by artificial language has been graduating in function of different types
of beer that has “proven” with a 81.9% success.
Through a computer analysis and automatic process of “supervised learning”, the device has allowed us to distinguish the major categories of beers studied: schwarzbier (black beer), lager, double malt, pils, Alsatian without alcohol.
In contrast, the artificial body is unable to recognize drinks which ignores the “signature” chemical (mixture of beer and soda, other beverages), test its reliability experts.
“These tools could provide robots with a sense of taste and may even eventually replace the tasters in the food industry to improve the quality and consistency of the products for consumption,” the researchers said in the study. La Nacion Costa Rica
