Researchers at the University of Maryland have unveiled an unusual but scientifically ambitious health device: Smart Underwear designed to monitor flatulence in real time.
The wearable health technology, created by a team in the university’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, is built around a compact sensor that snaps discreetly into a person’s underwear. Using electrochemical sensors, the device measures intestinal gas specifically hydrogen offering what scientists describe as a more objective window into digestive health and gut microbiome activity.
“Think of it like a continuous glucose monitor, but for intestinal gas,” said Brantley Hall, an assistant professor who led the project, in a university news release.
The innovation aims to address a long-standing gap in gastrointestinal research: reliable data. Historically, doctors have relied heavily on patient self-reporting to estimate how often people pass gas. Hall noted that previous medical assumptions placed the daily average at about 14 instances. But new research suggests that figure may significantly underestimate reality.
A study led by Santiago Botasini, an assistant research scientist at the university, found that healthy adults pass gas an average of 32 times per day. Individual results varied widely — from as few as four to as many as 59 daily occurrences. The findings were published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X.
Hall said the disparity underscores the importance of direct measurement. “Objective measurement gives us an opportunity to increase scientific rigor in an area that’s been difficult to study,” he said.
Beyond novelty, researchers argue the device could contribute meaningfully to digestive health research, microbiome science, and personalized medicine. The team is developing what they call a Human Flatus Atlas, a large-scale project intended to establish baseline data on normal adult flatulence patterns using Smart Underwear.
“We don’t actually know what normal flatus production looks like,” Hall said. “Without that baseline, it’s hard to know when someone’s gas production is truly excessive.”
To build that dataset, researchers are recruiting volunteers across three digestive categories identified in earlier studies. These include “Zen Digesters,” individuals who eat high-fiber diets yet rarely pass gas; “Hydrogen Hyperproducers,” “simply put, people who fart a lot;” and “Normal People,” who fall somewhere in between.
Hall emphasized that the project extends beyond counting gas episodes. “We’ve learned a tremendous amount about which microbes live in the gut, but less about what they’re actually doing at any given moment,” he said. “The Human Flatus Atlas will establish objective baselines for gut microbial fermentation, which is essential groundwork for evaluating how dietary, probiotic or prebiotic interventions change microbiome activity.”
Read More: Olympic organizers promise Valentine’s weekend restock after condoms run out
Also Read: Man Regains Guinness Record by Balancing Chair on His Chin for 1 Hour, 20 Minutes
