Gizmodo
In the face of a global food crisis, it's good to know that we have newly-developed robotic mouths around. Composed of teeth-like protrusions, variable speed motors, artificial saliva and a helium flow to quarantine-released compounds, this artificial mouth can masticate with the best of 'em.
Used to test the chemicals released by chewing (apples, in this case), the mouth sounds like an easy enough body part to duplicated, but there were actually multiple complications. A chewing rotation had to be programmed to fill in the role of the tongue (lest saliva not spread properly and big apple chunks avoid mashing), and scientists had to adjust their measurement techniques to account for the fact that humans tend to swallow saliva without swallowing their food, which the robotic mouth cannot do at this time.
While the technology is promising for testing foods that might be considered harmless until chewed, we know that one day our pet robot will eat the last Entenmann's donut. And on that day, the war will begin. [ACS Publications via io9]
Comments
The Simpsons did it already.
Dont they just call that Applesauce?
@Git Em SteveDave: Yes, I like-a to chew.
Good to see advances in mechanized S&M are finally trickling down into the scientific research community.
I am glad you used the term "Luddites"
its called american food - although the rest of the robotic digestive tract is not pictured in this version.
Don't they have anything better than a 03 paint version of its design?
So, I could get one of these, load it up with food, sit on my ass on the sofa and suck my dinner from a straw. Sweet!
Slap that bad boy in that R2D2 a few posts back, give it a "taste" for human flesh and away we go!
@Kaiser-Machead: And if you attach the output to the input, you'll solve world hunger.
@maven2k: Get a set of Professor Farnsworth's nuclear powered teeth.
i seen one in Taco Bell
Yes ok BUT does it shit ?
It blends.
Gentlemen, our quest is over.
@fastmike: yep,
then you get the burrito, taco, pizza - whatever product media that takes the 'food' data and sell it.
the mystery of fast food is over, finally
How has this not already been submitted to omnomnomnom.com?
This could be useful at my favorite restaurant, "Pre-Chewed Charlie's" (as seen on an old Saturday Night Live Skit).
@birdgirl39: Are you refering to the little boy with the apple pie from McDonalds where she happily accepted to chew and spit it in his mouth?
Instead of wasting money trying to make this thing useful...just pay a bum 20 dollars...or at least a sick freak with a food fetish
What's scary to me is the implication that apples may be harmful if chewed.
Man, I eat those things all the time. I'm filking DOOMED! "Keep the doctor away" my hairy tuchus! It's a plot, I tell you!
And meantime, this thing probably talks funny, with the helium and all.
I already own such a device - I call it a 'Blender'.
This will sell when someone comes up with the Steampunk version with lots of brass and gears.
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