Japanese researchers have developed electric chopsticks that enhance the salty taste of foods.
The devices could help people who need to reduce their intake of sodium.
The chopsticks were developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and drink manufacturer Kirin Holdings Company.
Wiring connects the chopsticks to a small computer device attached to the eater's hand.
A weak electrical current transports sodium ions from food through the chopsticks to the mouth, said Miyashita.
"As a result, the salty taste enhances 1.5 times," he said.
Miyashita and his research team have explored different ways that technology can interact with human senses.
He has also developed a television screen that a person can lick to taste different food flavors.
The traditional diet in Japan is salty.
The average Japanese adult eats about 10 grams of salt each day.
That is two times the amount suggested by the World Health Organization.
High sodium intake is linked to increased cases of high blood pressure, strokes and other conditions.
"To prevent these diseases, we need to reduce the amount of salt we take," said Kirin researcher Ai Sato.
Sato added that if Japanese people try to reduce salt intake in the usual ways, they will need to cut many of their favorite foods from their diet.
Otherwise, she said, they would have to eat bland, or flavorless, food.
Miyashita and Kirin are improving their chopsticks and hope to have them ready to sell as early as next year.
翻译：
日本研究人员开发了一种能增强食物盐味的电动筷子。
这种设备可以帮助那些需要减少钠摄入量的人。
筷子由明治大学教授宫下芳明和饮料制造商麒麟控股公司联合开发。
电线将筷子连接到食用者手中的小型计算机设备上。
宫下芳明说，微弱的电流通过筷子将食物中的钠离子输送到口中。
他说：“结果，盐味增加了1.5倍”。
宫下芳明及其研究团队主要探索科技与人类感官互动的不同方式。
他还开发了一种电视屏幕，大家舔一下，就能品尝到不同的食物味道。
日本传统饮食偏咸。
日本成人每天摄入约10克盐。
是世界卫生组织建议的两倍。
钠摄入过多与高血压、中风等疾病的增加有关。
麒麟控股公司研究员佐藤爱说：“为了预防这些疾病，我们应该减少盐的摄入量。”
佐藤还说，如果日本人试图以一般的形式减少盐的摄入，他们需要从饮食中减少很多最喜欢的食物。
否则，只能吃清淡无味的食物。
宫下芳明和麒麟控股公司正在改进筷子，预计明年将首次上市。