Scientists Develop Vomiting Machine to Study Norovirus

Scientists at North Carolina State University have developed a vomiting machine to study norovirus, a group of more than 30 related viruses that can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

The machine, which represents a scaled-down version of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, is made of tubes and a pressure chamber that passes through a clay face to mimic a vomiting angle.

It has been designed to allow researchers to control the pressure and volume of the vomit to mimic a range of natural vomiting behaviors, and uses several liquid solutions of different thicknesses to serve as vomit.

The machine has helped researchers validate claims that norovirus can become airborne when someone throws up, leading to possible infection. — Michael Cipriano