A Novel and Versatile Cough Simulator for Respiratory Disease Studies

COVID-19 has underscored the importance of studying respiratory diseases, especially regarding human coughs as a major transmission route. Current experimental methods often rely on limited human subjects or focus on specific aspects, such as droplets or flow. Droplet studies often neglect the interrupted jet flow conditions of a cough while flow studies have limitations on flow variability. This study aims to replicate human cough jet profiles and characterize their flow dynamics via a versatile simulator. The system uses a synthetic jet actuator (speaker) controlled by analog signals based on human cough parameters from previous studies. The speaker, in conjunction with an aerosol chamber and interchangeable mouthpiece, effectively simulates the respiratory tract. Upon activation, the speaker flexes, forcefully expelling air through the mouthpiece to replicate the action of coughing. The mouthpiece also allows for fog particles to be nebulized into the flow for visualization. Preliminary results showed a range of viable motion for the speaker diaphragm, demonstrating a versatility in creating cough jet profiles. Further testing with hot wire anemometry aims to quantify spatial and temporal differences in the produced cough jet flow fields.