JP7823885B2 - Meal simulation system, meal simulation method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a meal simulation system, a meal simulation method , and a program.

In an aging society, the discrepancy between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (the period of time during which one is free from restrictions on daily life) is becoming a problem. Maintaining physical function is necessary to extend healthy life expectancy. Furthermore, consuming nutrients through diet is important for maintaining physical function.

Patent Document 1 describes a technology that provides a pseudo-chewy texture to users without causing them any discomfort when chewing care foods with poor texture. This can improve the satisfaction and enjoyment of meals and maintain and improve chewing ability.

JP 2016-93476 A

Elderly people and patients who have undergone digestive surgery may temporarily be unable to eat. Furthermore, swallowing disorders may put them at risk of aspiration, making it difficult for them to eat safely. This can lead to a loss of motivation to eat, making it increasingly difficult for them to eat safely.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides a meal simulation system, a meal simulation method , and a program that can stimulate motivation to eat for safe nutritional intake by providing a simulated meal experience using the senses of sight, smell, and taste.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a meal simulation system comprises a goggle device worn on a user's head and capable of displaying an image of a virtual object in accordance with the user's movements in real space; an oral device worn in the user's mouth and capable of releasing a taste or aroma corresponding to predetermined identification information into the user's mouth upon receiving the identification information; and a control device. The control device comprises a display processing unit that displays one or more types of virtual food to the user through the goggle device; an identification information acquisition unit that, when eating utensils held by the user are brought to the position of the virtual food in real space, acquires identification information indicating the type of virtual food corresponding to the location where the eating utensils are brought; and a transmission unit that, when the eating utensils are brought to the user's mouth, transmits the acquired identification information to the oral device worn in the user's mouth.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the eating simulation system according to the first aspect, when the intraoral device receives the identification information and senses the user's chewing motion following the reception, it releases a taste or aroma corresponding to the identification information into the user's mouth.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the meal simulation system according to the first or second aspect further includes a plate device having a receiving surface onto which virtual food is superimposed and displayed by the goggle device, and incorporating a sensor capable of detecting the position on the receiving surface to which the eating utensil approaches.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the eating simulation system according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the eating utensils are brought to the position of the virtual food in real space, the display processing unit superimposes and displays an image showing at least a portion of the virtual food in accordance with the movement of the eating utensils.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a meal simulation method is performed using a goggle device that is worn on a user's head and is capable of displaying an image of a virtual object in accordance with the user's movements in real space, and an oral device that is worn in the user's mouth and is capable of releasing a taste or aroma corresponding to predetermined identification information into the user's mouth when the device receives the identification information. The meal simulation method includes the steps of: displaying one or more virtual foods to the user through the goggle device; acquiring identification information for the virtual food corresponding to the position where the eating utensil held by the user is brought to the position of the virtual food in real space; and transmitting the acquired identification information to the oral device worn in the user's mouth when the eating utensil is brought to the user's mouth.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the program causes a computer of a meal simulation system having a goggle device that is worn on a user's head and capable of displaying an image of a virtual object in accordance with the user's movements in real space, and an oral device that is worn in the user's mouth and that, upon receiving predetermined identification information, is capable of releasing a taste or aroma corresponding to the identification information into the user's mouth. The computer then executes the following steps: displaying one or more virtual foods to the user through the goggle device; acquiring, when an eating utensil held by the user is brought to the position of the virtual food in real space, identification information of the virtual food corresponding to the position where the eating utensil is brought; and, when the eating utensil is brought to the user's mouth, transmitting the acquired identification information to the oral device worn in the user's mouth.

According to the meal simulation system, meal simulation method , and program of the present invention, a simulated meal experience can be achieved using the senses of sight, smell, and taste, thereby stimulating motivation to eat for safe nutritional intake.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a meal simulation system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device according to the first embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of an intra-oral device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the meal simulation system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a meal simulation system according to a second embodiment.

First Embodiment
A meal simulation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Overall configuration of the meal simulation system)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a meal simulation system according to the first embodiment.
The meal simulation system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is for user A, who is unable to eat due to, for example, digestive surgery or swallowing disorder, to practice eating while taking in nutrients.

As shown in FIG. 1, the meal simulation system 1 includes a control device 10, a goggle device 11, an intraoral device (mouthpiece-type device) 12, a plate device 13, and a chopstick-type device 14.

The goggle device 11 is worn on the head of user A and is capable of displaying images of virtual objects that correspond to the user's movements in real space (applying so-called AR and MR technologies).

The oral device 12 is worn in the mouth of user A, and when it receives specific identification information from the outside (control device 10), it is capable of releasing a flavor or aroma corresponding to that identification information into the user's mouth.

The plate device 13 has a receiving surface onto which virtual food is superimposed and displayed by the goggle device 11. The plate device 13 has a built-in contact sensor that can detect the position on the receiving surface where an eating utensil (the chopstick-shaped device 14, described below) comes into contact.

The chopstick-type device 14 is modeled after the shape of real chopsticks and is held by the user. The tip of the chopstick-type device 14 is equipped with a contact-sensing member that enables the contact-sensing sensor of the plate device 13 and the contact-sensing sensor of the oral device 12 to detect contact with the chopstick-type device 14. The chopstick-type device 14 is one aspect of the eating utensils of this embodiment. Note that in other embodiments, instead of the chopstick-type device 14, a fork-type device or spoon-type device equipped with a contact-sensing member at its tip may be used as the eating utensil.

(Configuration of control device)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control device according to the first embodiment.
The control device 10 is a computer that controls the entire meal simulation system 1. The control device 10 may be a general computer that includes a CPU 100, a memory 101, and a communication interface 102.

The CPU 100 is a processor that performs various functions according to pre-prepared programs (applications).

Memory 101 is a storage area that stores instructions and data required for the CPU 100 to operate.

The communication interface 102 is an interface for wirelessly communicating with the various devices mentioned above.

As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 100 of the control device 10 functions as a display processing unit 1000, an identification information acquisition unit 1001, and a transmission unit 1002.

The display processing unit 1000 displays one or more types of virtual food (for example, a set of steak meat and side dishes in the case of a steak dish made from multiple ingredients) to user A through the goggle device 11. The display processing unit 1000 displays the virtual food so that it is superimposed on the receiving surface of the plate device 13. This allows user A to see the food as if it were being served on a plate.

When the identification information acquisition unit 1001 detects that the tip (touch-sensing member) of the chopsticks device 14 held by user A has contacted any position on the receiving surface of the plate device 13, it acquires identification information indicating the type of virtual food corresponding to the position of contact. For example, if the tip of the chopsticks device 14 touches the position on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 where "steak meat" is displayed, the identification information acquisition unit 1001 acquires identification information corresponding to "steak meat." Also, if the tip of the chopsticks device 14 touches the position on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 where "side dish" is displayed, the identification information acquisition unit 1001 acquires identification information corresponding to "side dish."

When the tip of the chopsticks-type device 14 is brought to the mouth of user A, the transmission unit 1002 transmits the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 1001 to the oral device 12 worn in the mouth of the user.

Note that, while the control device 10 according to this embodiment is described as a computer separate from various other devices, as shown in FIG. 1, other embodiments are not limited to this configuration. That is, in other embodiments, the control device 10 may be implemented in any of the goggle device 11, the oral device 12, the plate device 13, or the chopsticks-type device 14, or the functions of the control device 10 described above may be implemented across multiple types of other devices.

(Configuration of oral device)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the intra-oral device according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3 , the oral device 12 includes a mouthpiece portion 120 and a tank portion 121 .

The mouthpiece 120 is worn in the mouth of user A. A chewing sensor 120A is provided in the mouthpiece 120 to detect chewing movements.

The tank section 121 has a contact sensor 121a, multiple tanks 121b, and an actuator 121c. The contact sensor 121a is a sensor that detects contact with the tip of the chopstick-type device 14 (touch-sensing member).

Tank 121b contains multiple types of sensory-forming materials. Sensory-forming materials include taste-forming materials (sweeteners, sourness, saltiness, umami, bitterness, etc.), smell-forming materials (food smells), etc.

Actuator 121c is a driving member for delivering the sensation-forming material contained in each tank 121b into user A's mouth (mouthpiece portion 120) in response to an electrical signal. For example, the sensation-forming material may be contained in tank 121b in liquid form, and actuator 121c delivers the liquid sensation-forming material into the mouth. Alternatively, the sensation-forming material may be contained in tank 121b in gaseous form, and actuator 121c delivers the gaseous sensation-forming material into the mouth. Furthermore, actuator 121c may process the sensation-forming material contained in liquid form into gas (smoke-like) and deliver it into the mouth.

(Processing flow of the meal simulation system)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the meal simulation system according to the first embodiment.
The processing flow shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed during operation of the meal simulation system 1.

The display processing unit 1000 of the control device 10 displays a dish (virtual food) on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 via the goggle device 11 (step S1). User A then uses the chopsticks device 14 to pick up the virtual food on the plate device 13 while viewing the image displayed on the goggle device 11.

Next, the identification information acquisition unit 1001 of the control device 10 detects which food item displayed on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 has been touched by the tip of the chopsticks-type device 14 (i.e., which food User A selected), and acquires identification information indicating the type of food (Step S2). For example, if the tip of the chopsticks-type device 14 touches the position on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 where "steak meat" is displayed, the identification information acquisition unit 1001 acquires identification information corresponding to "steak meat."

The display processing unit 1000 of the control device 10 updates the image of the food displayed on the goggle device 11 to display an image of the food corresponding to the identification information acquired in step S2 being picked up with chopsticks (step S3). For example, if identification information corresponding to "steak meat" is acquired in step S2, the display processing unit 1000 causes the goggle device 11 to display an image of the "steak meat" being picked up with chopsticks. The display processing unit 1000 also updates the image of the "steak meat" superimposed on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 so that it is replaced with an image of the "steak meat" with a portion of the food being picked up with the chopsticks missing. When user A sees the image of the food being picked up with chopsticks, he or she moves the tip of the chopstick-type device 14 closer to his or her mouth. At this time, the display processing unit 1000 may cause the goggle device 11 to sequentially update and display the image so that the image of the food being picked up with chopsticks moves in accordance with the movement of the chopstick-type device 14.

The contact sensor 121a provided in the tank section 121 detects that the tip of the chopsticks-type device 14 has come into contact with the oral device 12 (step S4). The oral device 12 then notifies the control device 10 of the contact of the chopsticks-type device 14.

Next, when the transmitter 1002 of the control device 10 detects contact of the chopsticks-type device 14 with the oral device 12, it transmits the identification information acquired in step S2 to the oral device 12 (step S5).

Furthermore, user A brings the tip of the chopstick-type device 14 close to his mouth and then begins to chew. The intraoral device 12 then detects the user's chewing action using the chewing sensor 120A of the mouthpiece 120, and causes the mouthpiece 120 to dispense a sensory-forming material corresponding to the identification information received from the control device 10 (step S6). For example, if the device receives identification information corresponding to "steak meat" from the control device 10, it will dispense a sensory-forming material corresponding to "steak meat." This sensory-forming material may contain either a taste-forming material or an olfactory-forming material, or both. This allows user A to experience a realistic sensation similar to that of eating a real meal.

(Action and effect)
As described above, in the meal simulation system 1 according to this embodiment, the control device 10 displays virtual food on the goggle device 11 and transmits identification information corresponding to the type of virtual food to the oral device 12, thereby releasing the taste or aroma into the user's mouth.

With this configuration, meal simulation system 1 can provide user A with a realistic simulated experience of eating a real meal through sight, taste, and smell. As a result, meal simulation system 1 can give user A a sense of satisfaction from eating and stimulate user A's desire to eat.

Furthermore, in the meal simulation system 1 according to this embodiment, the oral device 12 senses the chewing action of user A and releases a sensory-generating material into the user's mouth according to the identification information.

With this configuration, the meal simulation system 1 can give user A the feeling that he or she is eating real food.

The meal simulation system 1 according to this embodiment also includes a receiving surface on which an image of virtual food is superimposed using a goggle device 11, and a plate device 13 with a built-in sensor that can detect when a chopstick-shaped device 14 approaches the receiving surface.

With this configuration, the meal simulation system 1 can detect which of the multiple foods included in the virtual food selection user A has brought the chopsticks-type device 14 close to (selected), and provide user A with a sensation corresponding to the food selected by user A. Furthermore, user A can get the sensation of eating multiple foods in a single meal simulation. This allows the meal simulation system 1 to further increase user A's satisfaction and motivation with regard to eating.

Furthermore, in the meal simulation system 1 according to this embodiment, when the chopstick-shaped device 14 is brought to the position of the virtual food, the control device 10 superimposes an image showing a portion of the virtual food (for example, an image of food being picked up with chopsticks) in accordance with the movement of the chopstick-shaped device 14.

With this configuration, the meal simulation system 1 can provide user A with a realistic experience, as if he or she were picking up real food with chopsticks and eating it.

In the above-described embodiment, the various processing steps of the control device 10 are stored in the form of a program on a computer-readable recording medium, and the computer reads and executes this program to perform the various processes described above. Furthermore, computer-readable recording media refers to magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, semiconductor memories, etc. Alternatively, this computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communications line, and the computer that receives the program may execute the program.

The above program may be one that realizes some of the functions described above. Furthermore, it may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. Furthermore, the functions of the control device 10 may be realized using cloud computing.

As described above, several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described. However, all of these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as within the scope and spirit of the invention.

<Modification 1>
In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the meal simulation system 1 has only one goggle device 11 worn on the head of user A, but this is not limited to this. For example, if user A is unable to eat a meal by himself, a caregiver may assist user A with eating. To be applicable to such cases, the meal simulation system 1 may have multiple goggle devices 11. In Variation 1, an example will be described in which the meal simulation system 1 has two goggle devices: a first goggle device 11 worn on the head of user A and a second goggle device 11 worn on the head of the caregiver.

In Variation 1, the caregiver operates the chopstick-type device 14 on behalf of user A to pick up virtual food from the plate device 13 and bring it to user A's mouth. In steps S1 and S3 of FIG. 4 , the display processing unit 1000 of the control device 10 synchronizes and displays images of the virtual food on both the first goggle device 11 worn by user A and the second goggle device 11 worn by the caregiver. The images displayed on the first goggle device 11 and the second goggle device 11 are adjusted to display images of the same virtual food from different angles, in accordance with the viewpoints of the caregiver and user A, respectively. Displaying images on the first goggle device 11 and the second goggle device 11 in this way allows the caregiver and user A to share the same virtual food information (such as what food is on the plate device 13 and which food has been brought to user A's mouth). This allows user A, who requires a caregiver, to have a simulated experience of eating a real meal.

<Modification 2>
In the above embodiment, the tank 121b of the oral device 12 contains a sensation-forming material corresponding to food, but the present invention is not limited to this. In a second modification, the tank 121b of the oral device 12 may further contain a deodorizing material that eliminates the smell of food.

In variant 2, for example, the virtual food displayed via the goggle device 11 includes palate cleanser drinks or foods such as "water" or "sherbet." When user A makes a motion to eat the palate cleanser food, a deodorizing material is delivered to the mouthpiece portion 120 of the oral device 12, eliminating the smell of the virtual food that user A has just eaten.

Here, we will explain an example in which "sherbet" is prepared as a palate cleanser. In step S1 of FIG. 4, the display processing unit 1000 of the control device 10 displays an image of "sherbet" as one of the virtual foods.

In step S2 of FIG. 4, the identification information acquisition unit 1001 of the control device 10 detects that the tip of the chopsticks-type device 14 (or a spoon-type device) has touched the display position of "sherbet" and acquires the identification information corresponding to "sherbet."

Steps S3 to S5 in Figure 4 are the same as in the above-described embodiment.

Furthermore, in step S6 of FIG. 4, the oral device 12 dispenses the deodorizing material corresponding to the identification information for "sherbet" received from the control device 10 into the mouthpiece portion 120.

The smell of food can remind user A of the taste of the food. Therefore, meal simulation system 1 can give user A the experience of eating food by delivering an olfactory sense-forming material into user A's mouth. On the other hand, meal simulation system 1 can enable user A to better enjoy the next food they eat by delivering a deodorizing material into user A's mouth to eliminate the smell of the food they just ate. This can prevent the smells of different foods from mixing in user A's mouth, which could cause user A to lose interest in eating.

If "water" is prepared as a palate cleanser, the meal simulation system 1 may have, in addition to the chopsticks-shaped device 14, a cup-shaped device on which an image of "water" is superimposed. In this case, in step S2 of FIG. 4, when the identification information acquisition unit 1001 of the control device 10 detects that user A is lifting the cup-shaped device, it acquires identification information corresponding to "water." The subsequent processing flow is the same as that in Variation 2 described above.

Second Embodiment
A meal simulation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a meal simulation system according to the second embodiment.
5 , the control device 10 of the meal simulation system 1 according to the second embodiment has, in its built-in recording medium, multiple types of chewing sounds and chewing tactile information D (hereinafter simply referred to as “chewing sound information D”) . The intra-oral device 12 of the meal simulation system 1 according to the second embodiment further includes a bone conduction device 122.

The control device 10 is capable of communicating with the bone conduction device 122 of the intra-oral device 12. The control device 10 and the bone conduction device 122 according to the second embodiment may be connected by wire, or may transmit and receive information via wireless communication.
The chewing sound information D is audio data consisting of recorded chewing sounds for various foods (steak, fried chicken, salad, etc.) This audio data is prepared in advance for each food and recorded as audio data in a recording medium built into the control device 10.

The bone conduction device 122 is one form of audio transmission means. Specifically, the control device 10 converts the chewing sound information D, which is audio data, into vibration information and transmits it to the bone conduction device 122. The bone conduction device 122 receives the vibration information and generates vibrations. User A senses the chewing sounds by sensing these vibrations through his or her bones. In other words, the bone conduction device 122 functions as a bone conduction speaker that transmits audio through user A's bones (rather than through the eardrum). As a result, user A senses the chewing sounds of food directly through his or her bones from the vibrations of the oral device 12.

The flow of a meal simulation using the meal simulation system 1 of the second embodiment will be explained.

In the processing of step S6 in FIG. 5, the control device 10 of the meal simulation system 1 according to the second embodiment further plays back chewing sound information D (audio data) via the bone conduction device 122. Here, the control device 10 uses the identification information (information indicating the type of food) obtained in step S2 to play back chewing sound information D corresponding to that identification information. For example, if user A selects "fried chicken" on the receiving surface of the plate device 13 in step S2, the control device 10 acquires the identification information indicating "fried chicken." Then, when the control device 10 senses user A's chewing motion in step S6, it plays back chewing sound information D corresponding to "fried chicken" via the bone conduction device 122.

As described above, according to the meal simulation system 1 of the second embodiment, the chewing action of user A triggers the release of sensory-forming materials and the audio playback of chewing sounds. Furthermore, the audio playback of chewing sounds is performed by bone conduction via the intraoral device 12 (bone conduction device 122). In this way, user A not only perceives the chewing sounds with their ears, but also senses the vibrations that are the source of the chewing sounds with their sense of touch (inside their mouth). This allows user A to virtually experience the sensation of actually chewing food based on both the sound information and the vibration information. Therefore, according to the meal simulation system 1 of this embodiment, user A can obtain a sensation that is closer to that of actually eating.

<Modification of the second embodiment>
In the second embodiment described above, the mastication action of the user A is used as a trigger to execute audio playback of mastication sounds, but other embodiments are not limited to this.

For example, in a modified example of the second embodiment, the meal simulation system 1 plays video data showing a person chewing food in response to an operation (start of playback) made by a caregiver on the control device 10. The video information of this video data is transmitted by the goggle device, and the audio information of the video data (chewing sounds) is transmitted via the intra-oral device 12 (bone conduction device 122).

The caregiver encourages user A to perform chewing movements in sync with the video (video and audio of chewing food). When user A performs chewing movements in sync with the video, the eating simulation system 1 triggers the chewing movement to cause sensory-generating material to flow from the intraoral device 12.

By doing this, it becomes possible to more effectively provide meal training to patients, for example, those with dementia or those with significantly impaired swallowing function (those who have difficulty swallowing food).

The features of the meal simulation system 1 according to the second embodiment and its modified example can be summarized as follows.
That is, the oral device 12 in the meal simulation system 1 according to the second embodiment and its modified example further includes a means for transmitting audio and tactile information. One aspect of this means for transmitting audio and tactile information is the bone conduction device 122.
The control device 10 in the meal simulation system 1 according to the second embodiment and its modification transmits the sound of chewing food and sensory information about the chewing of the food as vibration information via an audio transmission means (bone conduction device 122).

1 Meal simulation system 10 Control device 11 Goggle device 100 CPU
1000 Display processing unit 1001 Identification information acquisition unit 1002 Transmission unit 101 Memory 102 Communication interface 12 Orally worn device (mouthpiece type device)
120 Mouthpiece part 120A Chewing detection sensor 121 Tank part 121a Contact detection sensor 121b Tank 121c Actuator 122 Bone conduction device (audio transmission means)
13 Plate device 14 Chopsticks-type device D Chewing sound, tactile information of chewing

Claims (9)

a goggle device that is worn on the user's head and is capable of displaying an image of a virtual body according to the user's movements in real space;
an oral device that is attached to the user's mouth and that, when receiving predetermined identification information, is capable of releasing a taste or fragrance corresponding to the identification information into the user's mouth;
a control device;
Equipped with
The control device
a display processing unit that displays one or more types of virtual food to a user through the goggle device;
an identification information acquisition unit that, when the eating utensils held by the user are carried to the position of the virtual food in real space, acquires identification information indicating the type of the virtual food corresponding to the carried position;
a transmitter that transmits the acquired identification information to the intra-oral device worn in the user's mouth when the eating utensil is brought to the user's mouth;
A meal simulation system comprising: When the intra-oral device receives the identification information and detects a chewing action of the user following the reception of the identification information, the intra-oral device releases a taste or aroma corresponding to the identification information into the user's mouth.
The meal simulation system according to claim 1 . The goggle device further includes a plate device having a receiving surface on which the virtual food is superimposed and having a built-in sensor capable of detecting the position on the receiving surface to which the eating utensil approaches.
3. The meal simulation system according to claim 1 or 2. When the eating utensil is brought to a position of the virtual food in real space, the display processing unit superimposes and displays an image showing at least a part of the virtual food in accordance with the movement of the eating utensil.
3. The meal simulation system according to claim 1 or 2. The oral device further comprises an audio transmission means.
3. The meal simulation system according to claim 1 or 2. The audio transmission means is a bone conduction device.
The meal simulation system according to claim 5 . The control device reproduces the sound of chewing food via the audio transmission means.
The meal simulation system according to claim 5 . A meal simulation method using a meal simulation system having a goggle device that is worn on a user's head and is capable of displaying an image of a virtual body according to the user's movements in real space, an oral device that is worn in the user's mouth and is capable of releasing a taste or aroma corresponding to predetermined identification information into the user's mouth when the device receives the identification information, and a control device ,
causing the control device to display one or more virtual foods to the user through the goggle device;
When the eating utensil held by the user is carried to the position of the virtual food in real space, the control device acquires identification information of the virtual food corresponding to the carried position;
a step in which the control device transmits the acquired identification information to the intra-oral device worn in the user's mouth when the eating utensil is brought to the user's mouth;
A meal simulation method comprising: A computer of a meal simulation system having a goggle device that is worn on a user's head and is capable of displaying an image of a virtual body according to the user's movements in real space, and an oral device that is worn in the user's mouth and is capable of releasing a taste or aroma corresponding to predetermined identification information into the user's mouth when the device receives the identification information,
displaying one or more virtual foods to a user through the goggle device;
When the eating utensil held by the user is carried to the position of the virtual food in real space, acquiring identification information of the virtual food corresponding to the carried position;
When the eating utensil is brought to the mouth of a user, transmitting the acquired identification information to the oral device worn in the mouth of the user;
A program that executes the following.