These Electronic Spoons Make Your Vegetables Taste Sweeter

If your kid (or significant other) is known to chow down on sweets but scoff at the sight of some Brussels sprouts, here's some good news: Scientists may have a solution for picky eaters. The invention, called Taste Buddy, is essentially digital cutlery that makes low-sugar foods taste sweeter by electronically stimulating the taste receptors on the tongue.

Developed by scientists at the University of London, the innovative product was unveiled at the Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, according to The Telegraph. Currently, the team is working on a prototype spoon, but the technology could be engineered to fit knives and forks as well.

"The Taste Buddy could eventually help save lives, by allowing people to switch to healthier food choices," Dr. Adrian Cheok, one of the researchers, told The Telegraph. "Many children hate the taste of vegetables. So I knew that when I became an engineer, I wanted to make a device that could allow children to eat vegetables that taste like chocolate."

The electronic device adjusts to a frequency that can trick the tongue (and subsequently the brain) into believing it tastes something sweeter by changing the tongue temperature rapidly from 77 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

The device needs to go through testing before it can be sold commercially, but will be displayed at the Big Bang Fair in March 2017.