[hollosi]

This is probably less invention, more marketing.

Manipulating ions requires a lot of current. Drop an AA battery to a soup and nothing remarkable happens quickly, but lick the same battery and you will definitely feel it immediately.

If you do it while something sour/salty is in your mouth, your tongue may get confused, since it's only prepared to detect 5 flavors plus hot and cold, and it may simply assigns the extra feeling to the strongest sour/salty/umami taste currently experienced.

The electronics is probably just to cut the current when the two chopsticks touch to prevent short circuit.

There are similar articles from a few years ago, like this: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a15702/simulatin...

[Cerium]

Only one chopstick appears to have an electrode, while the wristband looks like a ground contact. This device looks like it makes a circuit from the chopsticks, through your mouth and body to your arm.

[cogman10]

Yup, the "sodium ion" thing sounds like BS. Almost certainly this thing, if it does anything, is merely shocking the tongue at a voltage/current that's high enough to be detected, low enough that you don't know you are being shocked.

Whether or not that "confuses" you into thinking this is salty, IDK.