Kicker: A high-tech spoon

MARY REICHARD, HOST: High tech has made life easier in some ways. Like the GPS on my iPhone that’s saved me many a wrong turn on long drives.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Mine is the Instant Pot. Saves so much time!

REICHARD: Well, here’s another possibly life-changing invention on the way: an electric spoon that makes food taste saltier, cutting down salt intake.

Co-inventor Homei Miyashita explains:

HOMEI MIYASHITA: [Speaking Japanese]

He says it works like this: When you’re eating salty food, some of the sodium comes into contact with your tongue, but not all. So the spoon passes a weak electric current through the tip of the spoon, which concentrates sodium ion molecules on the tongue….

MAST: Which gives the impression of a saltier flavor. Brilliant!

REICHARD: Right? Right now it’s only available in Japan, and it’ll cost you: a whopping $127 per spoon!

MAST: I might be a little salty about that price tag.

REICHARD: It’s The World and Everything in It.

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