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University of Maryland researchers built a wearable that detects hydrogen in intestinal gas. The device is real, but the researchers call it Smart Underwear, not “Fartbit.” It is a research instrument for studying flatulence and gut-microbial activity—not a Fitbit-branded gadget, consumer health tracker or established medical diagnostic.
What the University of Maryland built
Smart Underwear is a small sensor that clips onto ordinary underwear or another garment. It uses electrochemical sensing to detect hydrogen in flatus and sends measurements into a research data-collection system. The name refers to the wearable setup, not a complete pair of sensor-equipped underwear. The university describes the clip-on device; the technical work is reported in the peer-reviewed paper.
“Fitbit for farts” is an informal comparison used in university coverage, and “Fartbit” is a playful shorthand—not the documented official name. The study is called the Human Flatus Atlas. UMD’s technology-transfer organization identifies Ventoscity as the company associated with the licensed technology, but that does not make the device a Fitbit accessory or establish that it is for sale. Maryland Today and the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute use the “Fitbit for farts” framing.
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Gut microbes produce hydrogen as they ferment some dietary substrates. Some of that hydrogen leaves the body in flatus. Smart Underwear detects hydrogen in the expelled gas, allowing researchers to examine when readings occur and how they change alongside diet and other study information. The paper describes the wearable’s electrochemical sensing and explains why flatus, which can contain much higher hydrogen concentrations than breath, is a useful target.
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This is chemical sensing, not a microphone listening for sounds or a motion sensor that simply registers movement. It also is not a full chemical analysis of gas or a direct profile of the gut microbiome. Hydrogen is one component and a marker of microbial activity; it is not the same thing as total gas volume or a complete measure of what is happening in the gut.
What the early results show—and what they do not
UMD reported that an early study found an average of 32 flatus events per day among healthy adults, with individual totals ranging from 4 to 59. The university contrasted that result with an often-cited estimate of about 14 ± 6 events per day in older medical literature. These are study findings, not a definitive universal normal range; the larger Human Flatus Atlas is intended to gather more baseline data.
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In a sensor-validation experiment, the peer-reviewed paper reports 94.7% sensitivity for detecting increased hydrogen after participants consumed inulin, a prebiotic fiber. The result came from 38 healthy participants. It means the system showed sensitivity to that diet-related hydrogen increase under the study conditions; it does not mean the wearable is “94.7% accurate” at counting every episode, nor that it can diagnose a digestive disorder.
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The paper also describes a week-long user-experience study in which participants wore the device for more than 11 hours per day, with high reported compliance and little discomfort. That evidence concerns wearing the device and adherence, not its ability to identify disease or establish a population-wide baseline.
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Why researchers want objective flatulence data
Gas is difficult to study when measurements depend on people remembering and reporting events. A wearable can collect data over extended periods, including while someone is asleep, and let researchers compare timing with food records. That may help establish baseline patterns and investigate how fermentable fiber and other dietary factors relate to microbial fermentation and troublesome gas.
For now, the useful distinction is between a research measurement and a personal health conclusion. A person’s event count does not by itself describe symptom severity: people can experience similar gas output differently, and a high hydrogen reading is not automatically abnormal. Conversely, a low reading does not prove good digestive health.
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Limits of a hydrogen-focused wearable
- It does not detect every gas component. Intestinal gas can also include methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other substances. Hydrogen-only readings do not represent all gas output, and methane-producing microbiomes may not be fully captured by a hydrogen measure.
- An event count is not the same as hydrogen output. The underlying measurement is hydrogen in expelled gas. A low-hydrogen or hydrogen-free event may register differently, and performance can depend on sensor position, gas dispersion, calibration and how researchers define an event.
- Hydrogen is a proxy, not a microbiome profile. Readings can help study microbial activity, but they do not identify all microbes or explain a person’s symptoms on their own.
- Validation is not diagnosis. The inulin result concerns detection of a diet-related hydrogen increase in healthy participants. It does not establish performance for IBS, Crohn’s disease, food intolerance or another condition.
- Early samples have limits. Results from healthy volunteers cannot automatically be generalized to people with gastrointestinal disease. The larger baseline dataset was still being collected in the study record checked September 24, 2026.
The Human Flatus Atlas study
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the Human Flatus Atlas as study NCT07134543, sponsored by the University of Maryland, College Park. The record was marked recruiting, including a recruiting UMD location, when checked September 24, 2026. Study status can change; consult the registry record for current details.
| Registry item | Listed detail |
|---|---|
| Target enrollment | 500 participants |
| Eligibility | Adults aged 18 or older who live in the United States |
| Listed exclusions | Pregnancy or lactation, or unwillingness to wear the device as instructed |
| Wear protocol | 12 hours per day for 3 days |
| Remote activities | Log meals with photographs in a smartphone app and complete a post-wear comfort and usability survey |
| Estimated study completion | December 1, 2026; an estimate, not a completed milestone |
The project is led by Brantley Hall, an assistant professor in UMD’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. Santiago Botasini, an assistant research scientist in Hall’s laboratory, is identified as first author of the paper. UMD says Hall and Botasini filed patent applications and founded Ventoscity, which licensed the technology. The university’s account describes that commercialization connection.
Can you buy Smart Underwear?
The available sources establish research use, patent applications and a licensing effort, but do not establish a current retail product, public price or consumer checkout page. The documented route for participation is the Human Flatus Atlas study, not a commercial order. The existence of Ventoscity and a licensed technology is evidence of commercialization activity, not proof that consumers can buy the wearable.
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