AMONG the plethora of stories about wearables saving people's lives by detecting unusual physiological patterns, the wearable story that caught Dispensary Corner's attention today was about smart pants that detect farts.
Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed Smart Underwear, the first wearable device designed specifically to measure human flatulence.
A small sensor tracks hydrogen in the gas, allowing scientists to measure how often people fart, while potentially offering a new way to track gut microbial metabolism during everyday life.
Early testing indicates that on average, people pass gas around 32 times a day, which is higher than previous estimates - typically based on self-reporting - of an average 14 times.
There was quite a range, however, from just 4 gaseous events per day to 59.
"Objective measurement gives us an opportunity to increase scientific rigour in an area that's been difficult to study," observed inventor and project lead Brantley Hall, an assistant professor at UMD.
This, and other useful data, such as the composition of the gas, will be used to create the so-called "Human Flatus Atlas" to map patterns of 'normal' gas production.
The team is currently offering to ship the devices to volunteers - sadly, you have to live in the US - allowing them to contribute to the project from home.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 17 Mar 26
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