Scientists in Japan have developed a robot that can identify different types of food by "taste." Actually, the robot shoots infrared light at the food item and analyzes how the light bounces back. Each food has a different infrared "signature," allowing the robot to tell a sweet apple from a sour one without taking a bite, or even to identify a wine still in the bottle.

The researchers didn't set out to create a wine-sniffing robot. They just wanted to see if they could create a machine that can identify food. Companies in the food industry will soon be able to use this technology for a variety of useful purposes.

A reporter offered his hand for the robot to sense, and learned that human being taste like bacon. Which just goes to show, if you don't want to get eaten by a robot, don't make a pig of yourself.

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