Has virtual reality jumped the shark or is this a genius idea? There’s a new interactive cocktail on the market called a ‘Vocktail’ and, according to those who’ve tried it, it smells, tastes and looks just like the real thing.
“You could walk into a bar and order a mojito and using the mobile application, customize it to your preference with, say, a chocolate aroma and a hint of banana or mango,” says research fellow Nimesha Ranasinghe, speaking to World Economic Forum. “Or you could customize water to taste like your preferred flavored beverage and save the money.”
Here’s how it work. The cocktail glass has three tiny air pumps that are connected to three scent cartridges that mimic a cocktail aroma while you sip your drink.
And when it comes to the flavor, according to WEF, there are two silver electrodes on the rim of the glass responsible for the salty, bitter and sour notes of your VR drink.
LED lights complete the trifecta by projecting a color preference onto the glass.
What’s the point of drinking a cocktail if you can’t get drunk? Says Ranasinghe:
Using this technology, salt can be delivered in a virtual manner without the health drawbacks. Likewise, for diabetic patients, sugar consumption can be reduced dramatically without loss of sensory pleasure.
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As many mobile apps do these days, the Vocktail would allow creators to save and share their customized creations through social media.
The Vocktail is still in the testing phase. According to WEF, the team is currently working on things like texture. They’re also in talks to mass produce their idea that is basically a high-maintenance mocktail.
