UMD researchers create 'smart underwear' to study farts
UMD researchers create 'smart underwear' to study farts
It’s a perfectly normal bodily function that people would typically prefer to keep to themselves. But now, you could say University of Maryland (UMD) researchers are making a stink about it. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal explains.
MARYLAND - It’s a perfectly normal bodily function that people would typically prefer to keep to themselves. But now, you could say University of Maryland (UMD) researchers are making a stink about it.
The backstory:
UMD scientists are seeking to figure out the baseline of human flatulence patterns.
In other words, they're studying farts.
"One in five people reports excess intestinal gas, but they don’t get good advice because we don’t know, like, what magnitude of gas they have," explained Brantley Hall, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at UMD. "If we know how many times a day they’re farting, we can do a better job making them feel better."
So, they're working to measure just how often people actually pass gas.
"The medical textbook is going to say 14 plus or minus six, but we’ve now captured some people farting 200 times a day," Hall said. "So, imagine if you’re that person, you go to the doctor, and you’re like, I swear to god I’m farting, you know, more than a hundred times a day. They’re going to think you’re crazy."
Dig deeper:
Now, Hall and the other scientists are creating a database called Human Flatus Atlas.
To do it, they've created Smart Underwear, a wearable device that keeps count when people who are wearing it pass gas.
"This is a butt, and that’s where the device goes," Hall told Fox 5 while holding up a mannequin. He added that, so far, more than 10,000 people have signed up to take part in the study, telling an astonished reporter, "gas is a bigger problem than you think, man."
What you can do:
As a result of all the interest, there's now a waiting list to participate in the study. If you'd like to add your name – or learn more about the project – you can find more information here.