Smart Underwear, 32 Daily Farts, and the Race to Map the Human Gut

Sheldon starts eating Brussels sprouts to extend his lifespan. The diet gives him severe gas. He first mistakes the pain for appendicitis and tells Leonard he thinks his appendix is about to burst—then farts loudly and concludes it was the sprouts. Later, after he falls down the stairs while trying to jog with Penny, she helps him up and he farts in her face. His follow-up line is: “If it makes you feel any better, Thursday is no longer cruciferous vegetable night.”

The device, developed at the University of Maryland by Brantley Hall and colleagues, is the first wearable built specifically to measure human flatus.