A research laboratory at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University has developed a monitoring system for wet diapers that consists of a self-powered sensor/transmitter and a receiver and is supposed to assist staff in hospitals and nursing homes in performing diaper checks with elderly patients. The sensor kit has to be placed inside the diaper and sends signals to the receiver unit, which was co-developed in collaboration with Seiko Epson.
Both the sensor and the accompanying wireless transmitter are powered by a built-in battery that can generate electricity following a chemical reaction in the presence of urine. Once this happens, the sensor kit can transmit signals to a receiver located as far as 3 meters away.
The university lab says their wet diaper monitoring system is still in prototype mode. One possible area for improvement is to add circuitry to the sensor system so that a single system can monitor a group of people, for example in a nursing home.
Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subcription]
I do not think it will work as a commercial product. Also what will be the cost???
This solution exist since 1998 and has been developed from a small companie in Columbus Ohio. The companie developed a software tracking behavior of those patient with the monitoring system. For some reason, they all follow some patern and the software do prediction. Using those prediction, the care provider can help the patient to go to restroom before they get wet. This save cost of diappers and increase their qualitty of life. Good idea !