Becoming a foodie in virtual environments: simulating and enhancing the eating experience with wearable electronics for the next-generation VR/AR

Abstract

Human–machine interfaces (HMIs) have received significant attention for their potential in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Perception of food is an important component of human sensations closely related to healthcare and overall quality of life, which, however, is an underrepresented area in current VR/AR technologies. This review summarizes recent progress in simulating chemical and physical sensations for enhancing eating experiences by utilizing emerging wearable electronics. We start with a brief overview of the key sensory components that shape eating-related perceptions, including the widely studied physical cues (auditory, visual, tactile) as well as the often-overlooked chemical senses (olfactory, gustatory). Then, we review prior work on eating experience-related HMIs, organizing them according to two main categories: sensors used for information capture and actuators used for the simulation of sensations. In the following section, we further discuss the integration of these wearable electronics with hardware and software to build Internet-of-Things and advanced HMIs for human-in-the-loop interactions. The final section summarizes remaining challenges and provides an outlook on the development of eating experience related VR/AR technologies for various applications, with the goal of providing references and guidelines for future research efforts in this underexplored yet thriving field.