Smart Underwear Turns Flatulence Into Digestive Data

Fiber intake is widely recommended for gut health, blood-sugar regulation, and cholesterol control, yet 95% of Americans do not consume enough fiber. When fiber is fermented by gut microbes, hydrogen gas is produced and expelled as flatulence. Historically, researchers have relied on self-reporting or invasive rectal tubes to study this process, limiting large-scale data collection.

CNN

A research team led by Brantley Hall, an associate professor of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University of Maryland, has created the first wearable designed to measure human flatulence. The device is a small disc that snaps onto the back of underwear and uses electrochemical sensors to detect hydrogen gas. Though not classified as a medical device, the technology feeds data into the Human Flatus Atlas, a global project that pairs fart measurements with detailed dietary logs.

CNN

• In the initial study published in *Biosensors and Bioelectronics* (December), participants wore the device about 12 hours per day for seven days; the average recorded flatulence was roughly 32 farts during that period.

CNN

• A subsequent study recruited more than 500 volunteers who wore the sensor for at least 22 hours a day over three to 30 days. Results are pending release.

CNN

• A 2023 National GI Survey II involving nearly 89,000 Americans found that about one-in-four reported gas-related symptoms such as bloating, excessive gas, or abdominal pain.

CNN

She notes that increased gas often accompanies higher fiber intake and is not inherently a warning sign.

CNN

If the Human Flatus Atlas can link specific microbial activity patterns to health outcomes, the data may eventually support personalized microbiome-targeted therapies, such as tailored diets or probiotic regimens. However, researchers acknowledge that establishing causal relationships between individual microbes, fart frequency, and disease will require substantially more evidence.

CNN