Japan lab develops remote kissing device

Lovesick couples living oceans apart may soon get to share a kiss more realistic than the flying kisses they give each other during video chats. Japan's Kajimoto Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications is doing research on a device which can effectively transmit the feeling of a kiss. “If you take one device in your mouth and turn it with your tongue, the other device turns in the same way. If you turn it back the other way, then your partner’s turns back the same way, so your partner’s device turns whichever way your own device turns," an article on the Cool Gadgets website quoted the inventors as saying. According to the inventors, the device works by motor rotations, and one controls the rotation positions via a personal computer. Through bilateral control, the turn angle information is sent reciprocally by both devices to maintain the same position. "Right now the values are handled by one PC, but if a system is put together to handle the values over a network, then it would be easy for this operation to be conducted remotely," the inventors said. Another website, Diginfo.TV, said that the position values can also be recorded, and the kiss information for different individuals can be freely replayed. "For example, if you have a popular entertainer use this device and record it, that could be hugely popular if you offer it to fans," it quoted the inventors as saying. "The elements of a kiss include the sense of taste, the manner of breathing, and the moistness of the tongue. If we can recreate all of those I think it will be a really powerful device," it added. According to its web page, Kajimoto Laboratory is focused on human interface research, "mainly on tactile sensation." — TJD, GMA News