The Japanese have done it again. NEC labs and MIE University have prototyped a robot which can identify different wines and cheese. It does not taste it through the mouth however … the tasting is done using an infrared spectrometer on its hand.
When it has identified a wine, the robot speaks up in a childlike voice. It names the brand and adds a comment or two on the taste, such as whether it is a buttery chardonnay or a full-bodied shiraz, and what kind of foods might go well on the side.
There are other things that the robot can do too, using this method. Check this one out for instance –
Given three ripe, identical-looking apples to analyze, the robot was able without taking a bite to correctly single out one as sweet and the other two as a bit sour.
However, official tasters (or someliers as they are called) need not start sweating yet. The robot is still dumb in some aspects.
When a reporter’s hand was placed against the robot’s taste sensor, it was identified as prosciutto. A cameraman was mistaken for bacon.
I googled and found that a prosciutto is a type of Italian ham.
Check the article out here.