Pixie Scientific Smart Diapers

Testing the urine of lethargic children dates back to the Roman period. Modern parents still try to examine the color and smell of the urine of their children. Though we have made significant improvements in modern healthcare and disease identification systems, we still try to identify early signs by inspecting visual symptoms. In the future, smart and low-cost products will constantly monitor our health status. They will alert us before any major health issue emerges. Pixie Scientific has introduced such a futuristic service for children – Pixie Scientific Smart Diapers. The package will include an app, the smart diaper and the accompanying cloud service.

Using the smart diaper is very simple. While changing the diaper, if you find it wet, you just scan the front side of the diaper. The whole scanning process should not take more than ten seconds to complete. Once the scan is done, you don’t have to do anything else. The company’s proprietary algorithm will analyze the data and try to find out if any new pattern is emerging. There is a sensor with three reagents on the front side of the diaper. By reacting with urine, the reagents will examine various health related aspects. However, the smart diaper is not meant to be a replacement for a mother’s care or diagnostic testing. Rather, the diaper should act as a tool for identifying early symptoms. Additionally, it will help in measuring the status of previously identified symptoms.

Our kidneys disperse specific types of solutes into urine. Besides taking note of these, the smart diaper will also be very helpful in discovering unusual bacterial activity. All of this information can be retrieved from the smart diaper. In the case of emergency events, the central algorithm will alert you immediately. The algorithm system is capable of identifying any emerging trend by combining multiple parameters in advance. Among the parameters tracked by the diaper, some do not have any general range. Changes in those parameters are one of the key pieces of information collected by the diaper. Instead of bothering you with daily reports or updates, you will only be notified when your child needs follow-up testing or a visit to the physician.

Among the various information revealed by the smart diaper, the most notable ones include lengthy dehydration, potential kidney problems, Urinary Tract Infections (UTI), etc. Though a UTI could happen to any child, girls are more prone than boys. On average, 7-8% of girls get this infection before reaching the age of 24 months. While a UTI is not very harmful in general, some of the infected children could have chronic kidney infections. This can later lead to high blood pressure or poor kidney function. Unfortunately, this infection is almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. Though the infection is often accompanied by fever and pain, it is easy to miss. The smart diaper will be able to detect this infection at its earliest period.

Kidney problems can be caused several things including premature birth, undiagnosed diabetes, infections, etc. Noticeable symptoms don’t show up during the first few years of a child’s life. The smart diaper aims at identifying the early signs and ensuring that children with these types of difficulties are taken care of before the issues get serious. In the cases of children who are diagnosed with kidney conditions, a parent will be able to keep track of their status with these smart diapers.

Drinking plenty of water is very important for our body, and we adults know that, but children don’t. Therefore, you always have to make sure that your child is drinking enough water every day. When using smart diapers, you won’t have to do this on your own. The diaper will analyze the urine for lengthy dehydration and will let you know when a critical level is reached.

The diapers are designed to be both safe and convenient to wear. The reagents, diapers and other relevant accessories will be produced by certified vendors. The main panel of the diaper will be manufactured by Pixie Scientific itself. The reagent panel of the diaper is distanced from the skin by the absorbent core. Detailed experiments were conducted in order to make sure that the chemicals can’t get through the absorbent core.
The information collected from your child is kept secure with ultimate discretion. The data is stored in the secure cloud and communication between the smartphone app and the database is secured by HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Though the research data will be shared with selected academic research partners, the data will be made completely anonymous before it is sent.

Not everyone is convinced by the approach of Pixie Scientific’s smart diapers. The skeptics doubt the necessity of this expensive diaper for the average child. They claim that the diaper will not be helpful for anxious patients. Pixie Scientific defends its product by saying that the diaper is for reducing parents’ concerns and notifying them about potential issues, not for anything else. We find it a fascinating product with a lot of potential and include it on our list of iReviews 2015 best smart apparel.

Related YouTube videos: