Maryland scientists create “smart underwear” to measure flatulence and they want volunteers
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WWAY) — Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed what may be the most unusual wearable health device yet: Smart Underwear, a tiny sensor designed to measure human flatulence.
Yes, really.
The device is the first wearable technology built to track intestinal gas production by measuring hydrogen in flatus, giving researchers a new way to study gut microbial metabolism in everyday life.
Researchers say the invention could help doctors better understand intestinal gas complaints, which have long been difficult to measure objectively.
To address that challenge, a research team led by Brantley Hall, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at UMD, created Smart Underwear, a discreet wearable device that snaps onto any underwear and uses electrochemical sensors to monitor gas production around the clock.
In a study published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X, researchers found that healthy adults produced flatus an average of 32 times per day, about double the 14 (±6) daily events often reported in medical literature.
The study, led by UMD assistant research scientist Santiago Botasini, found wide variation among individuals, with totals ranging from as few as four flatus events per day to as many as 59.
Hall said older estimates were likely lower because past research relied on invasive techniques, small studies or self-reporting, which can miss events, especially during sleep.
Hall’s lab is now launching the Human Flatus Atlas, a nationwide project aimed at mapping the normal range of flatulence in adults across the United States.
“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.”
The study will measure flatulence patterns day and night across hundreds of participants and connect the findings with diet and microbiome composition. Devices will be shipped directly to participants, allowing adults over 18 anywhere in the U.S. to join remotely.
Researchers are recruiting volunteers in several categories, including “Zen Digesters,” people who eat high-fiber diets but experience minimal flatus, and “Hydrogen Hyperproducers,” described simply as people who fart a lot.
Stool samples from participants at both extremes will be collected for microbiome analysis.
Hall said the project will help establish objective baselines for gut microbial fermentation, providing groundwork for future dietary, probiotic or prebiotic research.
