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UMD Scientists Create 'Smart Underwear' to Measure Human Flatulence

72 points by ohjeez

by evanjrowley

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I considered becoming and early adopter but decided my needs would be better served after someone develops an industrial/Mil-Spec variant with wider range of operating temperatures, environmental resistance, and impact rating.

by gundmc

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Mythbusters made a version of this in an unaired segment of their 2006 episode about passing gas https://youtu.be/RHcDP_Yew-g?si=T7AONGdXPd4d_gM3

by shwaj

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I need a pair that can measure pitch and timbre.

by MrWiffles

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I’ll remind us all that the subject of human flatulence has been one of interest for some of history’s greatest minds - and humorists - for several centuries at the very least:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-32-02-02...

by impish9208

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Some PM somewhere is asking when this API will be available in the browser so that their site and its 413 trusted partners can delight their visitors with more relevant ads.

by SoftTalker

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My first question was: who funded this? Seems like a candidate for a Proxmire Golden Fleece Award.
This research was supported by the University of Maryland, the Maryland Innovation Initiative Phase I and the UM Ventures Medical Device Development Fund.

by tomkarho

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Waiting on the legislation demanding that every underwear must have these "safety" features and then someone will insert a meter to those and start taxing us for every single puff.

by svilen_dobrev

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digital Farthings, here they come

by shermantanktop

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When gas hits $5 a gallon at the pump, scientists get creative.

by zoklet-enjoyer

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Future Ig Nobel candidate?
I signed up for the study. I like to participate in studies at the local college and I track my sleep and stuff daily on my watch. Kind of excited about this. I'll report back with my data if I get picked
Update: dang
Thank you for your interest in the Human Flatus Atlas and for your willingness to participate in our study.
Due to overwhelming demand, we are currently experiencing a temporary pause in onboarding new participants. At this time, we kindly ask that you save the personalized consent form link you received, as it will be required to continue your participation once we are ready to bring you on board.
We will send a notification once we have expanded capacity to accommodate all participants.
We are thrilled by the incredible response to this study and truly appreciate your patience and enthusiasm. We look forward to your participation.
Sincerely, The Human Flatus Atlas Research Team

by xrd

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I do think this has a chance of breaking records for clinical trial participation rates.

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by nullorempty

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Life is stranger than fiction.

by euroderf

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These measurements will not be complete if they do not measure the other two states of matter, liquid and solid. I don't know about you, but they've been known to appear.

by portly

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I need a smell amplifier

by nytesky

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I know this is worthwhile, especially with the rise in colorectal cancer in younger adults, perhaps this will help in early detection.
But I did take a double take and go “Is it April already?”

by fortranfiend

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Some things should be left unknown.

by nullorempty

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And I just invented a fart-tube to route gasses away from sensors - already assuming farts will be taxed.

by bdangubic

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Meta should buy this and make people in 3rd world countries watch this in real time

by throwup238

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This reminds me of one of the pinnacles of Canadian culture, Kenny vs Spenny. In one episode titled “Who Can Blow the Biggest Farts?” they used a device that measures flatulence to judge who blew the biggest fart.
I assume with this underwear we all can participate in gamified flatulence with a global leader board.

by nacozarina

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if they are electrified, they can be hacked to be an ignition source

by MarkusWandel

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That sounds like a classig igNobel Prize candidate!

by paulbjensen

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…and the Danes will tax it, just like they tax cow farts.

by toenail

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I wonder what comes after that, a tax for methane emissions?

by aanet

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Hand ‘em the IgNoble prize already

by oulipo2

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Can we bind it so when I fart it closes the tab?

by vivzkestrel

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- imagine if you had superpowers to do anything
- i would replace everyone s underwear secretly with a bass base to emit a loud noise everytime someone farted
- imagine how many loud bops you would hear at the airport every second

by kotaKat

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Tired: Kohler's poop camera.
Sleepy: Withings' piss sensor.
Wired: Smart fart panties.

by k4rnaj1k

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This can potenitally help people actually tell if their microbiome is okay. Seems like an actually useful study and will be very helpful for doctors.