A new “smart diaper” has been developed by a research team at Penn State. While parents can usually tell when their little one’s diaper needs to be changed just by looking at it, this high-tech diaper sends an alert to their phone when baby needs a change.
The smart diaper uses an electrode sensor to detect changes in humidity and the sensor is created by using a pencil to draw on paper that’s treated with a sodium chloride solution. The hydration sensor is extremely sensitive and once it gets wet, the diaper - which is connected to a tiny lithium battery - sends a message to a smartphone via Bluetooth, telling the caregiver that it’s diaper changing time.
Researchers did test the humidity sensor in face masks and found it could potentially provide data that could detect the onset of a heart attack or when someone stops breathing. So even though we probably won’t be seeing these “smart diapers” on the shelves anytime soon, the humidity sensors could be used in other areas for healthcare.
Source: Scary Mommy