The highly sophisticated surface design of a human tongue has been replicated with a synthetic silicone structure that mimics the topology, elasticity and wettability of the tongue’s surface.
The team took silicone impressions of tongue surfaces from fifteen adults. The impressions were 3D optically scanned to map papillae dimensions, density and the average roughness of the tongues.
Computer simulations and mathematical modelling were then used to create a 3D-printed artificial surface to function as a mould containing wells with the shape and dimensions of the different papillae randomly distributed across the surface with the right density.
The unique factors attributable to the human tongue are instrumental to how food or saliva interacts with it, which in turn can affect mouthfeel, swallowing, speech, nutritional intake and quality of life...