File this under "What will they think of next?" A firm in Australia called Simavita has invented a pair of electronic underpants for people who have incontinence that works to monitor and relay information about "accidents."
"...approved for use in various healthcare settings or during the compulsory or recommended assessment conducted in aged care facilities. The programm is designed to make assessment easier, simpler and more accurate for carers -- as well as more effective and less embarrassing for residents...The frequency of such events may suggest a pattern and can assist in the determination of the type and degree of continence, the best type of continence aid to be used, and the subsequent toileting schedule to be implemented as part of a resident’s care plan."
Alerts are sent via text message over the institution's paging system.
The underpants have a disposable element similar to a regular incontinence pad and include a detachable transmitter that relays readings from the pad's sensor strip over a wireless network to a central computer.
On the one hand, it seems strange to have a wireless monitor in one's pants. But if the goal is better care for patients, it could be a good thing. Now that electronics have made their way into our particulars, can we officially say computing is ubiquitous? I think so.
Image: Simvita
Tags: Inventions, Sensors, Wearable Computers
comments ( )