UMD Scientists Create 'Smart Underwear' to Measure Human Flatulence | Hacker News Reader

UMD Scientists Create 'Smart Underwear' to Measure Human Flatulence

cbmg.umd.edu

83 pointsohjeez55 comments

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

Sincerely, TH FART

Ig Nobel is doing more for science than Nobel:

- It's fun.

- The prizes are accessible to young scientists who actually need the career boost from the publicity (as opposed to established scientists who are mostly boosting the prestige of the prize)

- They promote awareness of how diverse and awesome science is.

Small annoyance, the team name is missing an E.

Wish they had gone with The Human Enterologic Flatulence Atlas Research Team.

Historically (hysterically?); Joseph Pujol (June 1, 1857 – August 8, 1945), better known by his stage name Le Pétomane, was a French flatulist (professional fartist), comedian and entertainer. He was famous for his remarkable control of the abdominal muscles, which enabled him to seemingly fart at will. His stage name combines the French verb péter, "to fart" with the -mane, "-maniac" suffix, which translates to "fartomaniac". The profession is referred to as "flatulist", "farteur", or "fartiste". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Pétomane

Ofc Freud came to watch lol

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

> in an unaired segment

checks out

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.

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.

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.

Or just maybe, it was developed to further a legitimately needed area of medical research with direct human clinical relevance like quantifying differences in the microbiome for colorectal cancer, etc.

The concept of the Golden Fleece awards (and whatever Rand Paul’s version is called) linking a reaction of “sounds stupid to me” by a random layperson with “taxpayers are getting ripped off” is inherently faulty and weaponizing populism to sabotage publicly funded scientific research.

I need a pair that can measure pitch and timbre.

Same, but also measure blast radius

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...

Calling farts “Quantity of Wind” is peak class. I will adopt this nomenclature

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

Time to rewatch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderpants

I read the plot and noped out on that one, until I read the cast list. Paul Giamatti? Fine, it goes on the list for tonight. If for no other reason than to find out what the hell he’s doing in something like that.

Please, for the good of humanity, and of HN, report back.

I wish I could report success, but I can’t find it streaming. Amazon will sell me the DVD for $6, but I don’t know if I wanted to get that invested. I may have to hoist the sails…

The RedLetterMedia guys watched thunderpants and enjoyed it. If you can't be bothered watching it, you can watch their summary discussion of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGI-BKctOK8

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

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

Was just thinking about the surveillance aspect of this. Nobody would be able to pretend it was someone else who farted.

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.

Countries struggle to keep drugs, immigrants or straight up vape shops away. If we fail to keep our most basic laws enforced, how do you imagine stuff like this working. Cheap sarcasm like this has no place on HN.

Life is stranger than fiction.

I need a smell amplifier

32 a day!?! I guess I’m not that abnormal after all then.

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

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?”

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.

As long as you're not achieving Plasma you're probably fine.

Some things should be left unknown.

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.

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

"This workplace is an Ultra-Low Emissions Zone. Violations will result in a daily standing charge docked from your pay."

You speak in jest but compared to other taxes that have been proposed.. I can't say that you'd be wrong

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

Well, given that both are destructive to the planet, that makes some sense.

(Also, cow burps are the bigger issue)

Clearly. Seems like the top concern for today's the powers that be.

Methane is the most harmful gas right now, but the solution for some reason is more money to the gov. Maybe we should do something about that meat industry

Methane you say.

May be they should just stop the wars for now. Stop spilling oil into the seas. Stop dropping bombs. Stop all the crazy shit they are doing.

As far as meat is concerned - our bodies need meat and fat to stay healthy.

> Stop all the crazy shit they are doing.

But then we would have to accept methane is an excellent fuel and that we have an abundance of it. No one on the fortune 500 likes that idea.

digital Farthings, here they come

That sounds like a classig igNobel Prize candidate!

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

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

Hand ‘em the IgNoble prize already

Tired: Kohler's poop camera.

Sleepy: Withings' piss sensor.

Wired: Smart fart panties.

- 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

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.

Finally, we might have proof that family member(X) truly is releasing biological weapons grade flatulence at the next holiday get together.

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