The device has been developed by the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) and uses electronic sensory systems with \u201cadvanced mathematical procedures\u201d to analyse different varieties of the Catalan alternative to champagne according to taste. <\/p>\n
The team of scientists in Spain aimed to replicate the human tongue to obtain classification of the sweetness of the wine by measuring the sugar levels within it. In that way it can accurately detect defects in the production process and act as quality control measure. <\/p>\n
The \u201crobotic sommelier\u201d, as it has been dubbed, can already determine the difference between Brut, Brut Nature, and medium dry varieties, and could in the future be \u201ctrained\u201d for wider applications. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a complex training system. You need to show it samples \u2013 teach it like you would a child, and once trained, it tells you what a new sample looks like or resembles. Then it can be trained for almost any situation,\u201d explained Manel (CORR MANEL) del Valle, the lead researcher on the team. <\/p>\n
He believes it has a commercial use and could eventually replace the teams of experts needed in each bodega.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could perform automatic tests in the production process to detect defects and may be a replacement for the (human) sensory panel used by many wine producers,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
It is not the first electronic development to challenge the traditional expertise of a sommelier. <\/p>\n
In Japan, scientists developed an anthropomorphic robot that could recognise the type of wine and the grape varieties within it by analysing the infrared light absorption within a glass of the liquid. <\/p>\n
In France, researchers have developed an \u201celectronic nose\u201d which can not only pinpoint where a wine was made but even in which barrel it was fermented. <\/p>\n
Developed to help fight the international trade in fake vintage wines it analyses compounds in vaporised samples and matches chemical signatures against a database of characteristics of the finest wines. <\/p>\n
And \u201celectronic wine guides\u201d \u2013 which list varieties, vintages, their qualities and what dishes they compliment \u2013 are now popular among wine-lovers and can be downloaded as an app to mobile phones. <\/p>\n
But the UAB research team insisted that human sommeliers would not become obsolete anytime soon. \u201cThe sommelier will be always the one with personal treatment,\u201d said Mr Del Valle. \u201cIn a restaurant for example, this personal treatment will be never replaced by a machine.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scientists in Spain have developed an \u201celectronic tongue\u201d that promises to rival the work of the traditional sommelier and identify different grades of the Spanish sparkling wine, cava. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest"],"yoast_head":"\n