UK researchers build artificial stomach, antacid software coming soon

Think you have an iron stomach? British scientists at the Institute of Food Research built one that won't get indigestion from that triple-patty chili cheeseburger you had for lunch. IFR's artificial stomach simulates human digestion, and is made of "sophisticated plastics and metals" to endure all the natural chemicals and enzymes an actual stomach has. According to the BBC, chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham claims that his design improves on previous models (models? plural?) as it actually simulates contractions the stomach uses to process food. But why build such a model, unless you're a big stomach nerd scientist type? It turns out that the stomach's processes are still something of a mystery, and that these researchers would like to be able to develop healthier foods that can "manipulate the digestive process," or as we'd prefer, "hack the digestive process." Now, while the artificial stomach does have the ability to throw up (we're not really sure how that's triggered), we do hope that those boffins are standing well back when they run that particular experiment.

[Via Spluch]

Read - BBC
Read - The Associated Press

[blackf0rk @ Nov 14th 2006 11:31AM]

Two thumbs up for the poop machine!

[thechad @ Nov 14th 2006 11:37AM]

By the look of that things size, I won't be signing up for an artificial stomach anytime soon.

[Gaz @ Nov 14th 2006 11:41AM]

I for one, welcome our food mashing, artificial-digestion simulating, robotic overlords

[Matt B @ Nov 14th 2006 11:53AM]

I'd like to see what it does with hot wings and Hawaii'n Punch. Or 8 beers and a shot of tequila added after 10 minutes.

[mespinosam @ Nov 14th 2006 12:21PM]

And at the end of the digestive process instead of crap u get a Zune . now i get it !!
Crap.

[Shunnabunich @ Nov 14th 2006 12:39PM]

So this would be one step closer to having robots which can eat food, no? Interesting...I suppose once they have good enough AI, they'd need to be able to engage in social activities with humans anyway. Now the REAL question is: can these scientists find a way to derive energy from the food that's being processed in this thing?

[kbiel @ Nov 14th 2006 12:42PM]

Philip K. Dick already foresaw this in "The Great C".

I, for one, welcome our new mechanical stomach overlords.

[Josh @ Nov 14th 2006 1:05PM]

"So this would be one step closer to having robots which can eat food, no? "
No. It's one step closer to having robots that can not only shoot us or crush us, but eat our bullet-ridden/mangled corpses as well.

[Brandon West @ Nov 14th 2006 1:33PM]

Can we get a filter on "I for one" jokes? Seriously that shit is not even in the same hemisphere as clever or funny or even amusing anymore.

[dvheil @ Nov 14th 2006 3:01PM]

atleast now you can be guaranteed "hard" abs

[Matt Burden @ Nov 14th 2006 3:04PM]

Artist Wim Delvoye created a poop machine called "Cloaca" several years ago. Gourmet chefs would prepare a meal, and feed it into one end of the several yards long machine. A series of blenders, enzymes, pumps, tubes, stirrers, etc. would digest the food. Twice a day, the machine would take a poop onto a conveyor belt which would then roll forward to display the feces to the expectorant audience. Check out http://www.pbs.org/wnet/egg/302/cloaca/index.html for a video.

[jblock @ Nov 14th 2006 3:06PM]

Brandon, without the "I for one" jokes Engadget just wouldn't be Engadget. I say seep 'em comin' ;o)

[dave @ Nov 14th 2006 4:44PM]

Could a robot's next power source be FOOD?

[kbiel @ Nov 14th 2006 5:27PM]

If by FOOD you mean soylent green.