Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




ROBO SPACE
Taste-testing robots in Thailand to ensure local restaurants are doing country proud
by Brooks Hays
Bangkok (UPI) Sep 30, 2014


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

To curb the proliferation of knockoff versions of pad Thai, green chicken curry and Thai fried rice, Thailand officials have enlisted the help of taste-testing robots.

The "e-delicious" robots -- of which there are currently two -- use a series of a sensors and microchips to identify the chemical makeup of a sample of food, a bite placed in their mouths. The sensors on the tongue can apparently pick out the flavor components of a well-balanced Thai dish -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. The robots also have a nose with 16 gas sensors to ensure would-be Thai food also smells right.

Once the the machines ascertain the chemical profile of the sample, they then compare their readings to the chemical signature of the ideal version of that dish. The ideal version is, of course, preprogrammed into the robot's computer system -- predetermined by humans and their human taste buds.

If a local restaurant's tom yam kung (spicy shrimp soup) is sufficiently Thai, it will receive a government seal of approval. The people of Thailand are passionate about their food, but their suspicion about inauthentic Thai seems mostly directed at restaurants outside the border.

"There are many Thai restaurants all around the world that are not owned by Thai people," Supachai Lorlowhakarn, an adviser to the Thai government's National Innovation Agency, told The New York Times. "They are owned by Vietnam or Myanmar, or maybe even Italian or French."

The two robotic food snobs are the product of the Thai Delicious program, funded by the National Innovation Agency. It was first conceived by Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's former prime minister who was outed in a military coup this summer. The new government has maintained the program, and is set to host a dinner Tuesday in Bangkok, where Thai chefs and food experts will get to witness the robots' discerning palates firsthand.

.


Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








ROBO SPACE
Robot cheerleading squad showcases sensor technology
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 25, 2014
A team of cheerleading robots made their dancing debut in Tokyo on Thursday as creator Murata Manufacturing demonstrated its cutting-edge sensor technology. With curtains pulled back and Japanese pop music pulsing in the background, 10 doll-like robot girls with illuminated pom-poms rolled out onto a stage to perform their choreographed routine. The cheerleaders stand just 36 centimetres ... read more


ROBO SPACE
Russia to Launch Full-Scale Moon Exploration Next Decade

Lunar explorers will walk at higher speeds than thought

Year's final supermoon is a Harvest Moon

China Aims for the Moon, Plans to Bring Back Lunar Soil

ROBO SPACE
India's Mars Orbiter Cost Only 11 Percent of NASA's Maven Probe: Reports

India's spacecraft beams back first Mars photos

NASA Rover Drill Pulls First Taste From Mars Mountain

Back to Driving

ROBO SPACE
NASA technologies to be studied for commercialization

NASA Seeks Best and Brightest for Space Technology Fellowships

Midland International Receives FAA Spaceport License Approval

Japanese Firm Plans Space Elevator to Run by 2050

ROBO SPACE
China Exclusive: Mars: China's next goal?

Astronauts eye China's future space station

China eyes working with other nations as station plans develop

China completes construction of advanced space launch facility

ROBO SPACE
A Giant Among Earth Satellites

New ISS Trio Launches to Expand Expedition 41 to Six

SpaceX cargo ship arrives at International Space Station

Halfway through Blue Dot mission

ROBO SPACE
Arianespace's lightweight Vega launcher is readied for its mission with the European IXV spaceplane

Soyuz Rocket Awaiting Launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome

Elon Musk, Rick Perry attend groundbreaking for Texas spaceport

France raises heat on decision for next Ariane rocket

ROBO SPACE
New milestone in the search for water on distant planets

Clear skies on exo-Neptune

Distant planet's atmosphere shows evidence of water vapor

Chandra Finds Planet That Makes Star Act Deceptively Old

ROBO SPACE
Fed Up With Federal Inaction, States Act Alone on Cap-and-Trade

Microsoft to tap $2-trillion Indian cloud market

How to make stronger, 'greener' cement

Putting the squeeze on quantum information




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.