About this Research Topic
Eating and drinking are, perhaps, some of the most multisensory events of our everyday life. Take, for instance, flavor, which is one of the most important elements of such experiences. It is known that flavor is the product of the integration of, at least, gustatory and (retronasal) olfactory cues. Nevertheless, researchers have suggested that all our senses can influence the way in which we perceive flavor, not to mention our eating and drinking experiences. For instance, the color and shape of the food, the background sonic cues in our eating environments, and/or the sounds that derive from the food’s mastication can all influence our perception and enjoyment of our eating and drinking experiences. Activity in Human-Food Interaction (HFI) research has been steadily growing over the years. Research into multisensory interactions in order to create, modify, and enhance our food-related experiences is one of the core areas of HFI. It aims to further our understanding of the principles that govern the systematic connections that exist between the senses in the context of HFI.
In this Research Topic, we are calling for investigations and applications of systems that create new, or enhance already existing, eating and drinking experiences (‘hacking’ food experiences) in the context of Human-Food Interaction. Moreover, we are interested in those works that are based on the principles that govern the systematic connections that exist between the senses. Human-Food Interaction also involves the experiencing of food interactions digitally in remote locations. Therefore, we are also interested in sensing and actuation interfaces, new communication mediums, and persisting and retrieving technologies for human food interactions. Enhancing social interactions to augment the eating experience is another issue we would like to see addressed here.
We call for research that looks into the following topics:
• Using multisensory digital devices to manipulate eating and drinking atmospheres (e.g. color, music) and factors such as food presentation (e.g. size and/or shape of the plate, smell and/or color of the food).
• Collecting user’s responses derived from flavor experiences through digital devices. Tracking behavioral aspects (e.g. tracking movements, eating speed, and facial expressions), and/or using psychophysiological measurements.
• Multisensory experience design, technology, and playful interactions to influence food habits and choices.
• Understanding the role of technology in the social aspects of dining (e.g., social media and food pictures).
• Novel applications of food and technology in different contexts, e.g., during airplane flights or space travel.
• Exploring the role of technology to enhance or otherwise influence social aspects surrounding eating behavior.
• Defining the methods of associating the extended sensory data (smell, taste, touch) with traditional (AV, text) data. Food as data.
In this Research Topic, we are calling for investigations and applications of systems that create new, or enhance already existing, eating and drinking experiences (‘hacking’ food experiences) in the context of Human-Food Interaction. Moreover, we are interested in those works that are based on the principles that govern the systematic connections that exist between the senses. Human-Food Interaction also involves the experiencing of food interactions digitally in remote locations. Therefore, we are also interested in sensing and actuation interfaces, new communication mediums, and persisting and retrieving technologies for human food interactions. Enhancing social interactions to augment the eating experience is another issue we would like to see addressed here.
We call for research that looks into the following topics:
• Using multisensory digital devices to manipulate eating and drinking atmospheres (e.g. color, music) and factors such as food presentation (e.g. size and/or shape of the plate, smell and/or color of the food).
• Collecting user’s responses derived from flavor experiences through digital devices. Tracking behavioral aspects (e.g. tracking movements, eating speed, and facial expressions), and/or using psychophysiological measurements.
• Multisensory experience design, technology, and playful interactions to influence food habits and choices.
• Understanding the role of technology in the social aspects of dining (e.g., social media and food pictures).
• Novel applications of food and technology in different contexts, e.g., during airplane flights or space travel.
• Exploring the role of technology to enhance or otherwise influence social aspects surrounding eating behavior.
• Defining the methods of associating the extended sensory data (smell, taste, touch) with traditional (AV, text) data. Food as data.
Keywords: Human-Food Interaction, Human-Computer Interaction, Multisensory, Food, Technology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
