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If you\u2019re cutting salt out of your diet, either for medical reasons or just trying to be healthy, low-sodium foods can be a letdown. But don\u2019t despair \u2014 Japanese company Kirin claims to have a solution in its Electric Salt Spoon<\/a>, which uses electrodes to electrify your tongue to give you a little salty shock. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The idea, as Reuters<\/em> puts it<\/a>, is that it passes a small electric current to \u201cconcentrate sodium ion molecules on the tongue,\u201d enhancing salty flavor. It\u2019s like techno-umami. The company says the goal is to get people to eat healthier by letting them eat low-sodium food without being sad about how unsalty it is. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kirin partnered with Professor Homei Miyashita from Japan\u2019s Meiji University School of Science and Technology to test the tech in a set of chopsticks that were attached via wire to a wrist-worn battery pack. The company claims the chopsticks increased salty taste by as much as 50 percent<\/a>. Longtime readers of The Verge <\/em>may recall that, a couple of years ago, Miyashita explored a concept for a lickable TV that would let you taste the stuff<\/a> you see in your stories, a concept I\u2019m still struggling to come to terms with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n