Have you ever wondered how much you fart on any given day? Soon, you may be able to track the frequency of your flatulence to your heart’s content. Recently, researchers studying the metabolism of gut microbes snapped a wearable sensor onto underwear (right in the sweet spot, at the back of the crotch), exposing a new frontier in preventative diagnostic tech. Science News’s Tina Hesman Saey opens the kimono on this new technology.
Previous research on flatulence was a partial draft at best. Data either relied on invasive medical procedures or was self-reported, and users couldn’t account for their gaseous emissions while they were asleep. The new tracking device, created by microbiologists at the University of Maryland in College Park, uses chemical sensors to detect the frequency, duration, and gas concentration of flatulence events around the clock. After establishing a wearer’s baseline fart performance, or “gas profile,” the researchers successfully monitored changes that occurred after giving volunteers high-fiber gumdrops. This developing technology could someday offer much-needed data on how specific foods are being fermented by gut bacteria. In fact, the researchers are planning to commercialize their patent-pending “Fitbit for farts” under the name Ventoscity LLC.
Why track farts? Not just for yuks, but because upwards of 70 million people in the U.S.
