I had the opportunity to see the smart underwear up close during a recent visit to the Netherlands.
LifeSense is introducing a new way for women who have recently given birth to take control of their pelvic floor muscles without having to sacrifice style.
After birth, mothers begin to experience urinary incontinence, or loss of bladder control. An activity such as running, laughing or jumping, causes the risk of leaking to become higher. Carin, “smart” underwear, allows new mothers to feel safe doing those daily activities once again, and takes away the embarrassment and stigma of incontinence.
Carin undergarments have an absorbent material and the ability to detect instances of urinary incontinence. The undergarments come with a discreet wearable sensor and a companion app to keep track of a user’s leakages.
The underwear’s soft microfiber inner layer absorbs both moisture and odor quickly without sacrificing comfort for daily wear. The sensor measures the quantity of leaks, the movements of the user and anything they may drink. It then uses an algorithm to assess what affects the user’s incontinence. For example, keeping track of a user’s movements identifies which muscle fibers have been weakened. Keeping a record of what the user drinks per day allows the app to determine if their liquid consumption is a factor to their incontinence.
The data gathered from the sensor is used to create a personalized training schedule with LifeSense’s physiotherapist. The five-minute personal training videos are sent to the user every few days and span over three months. They include feeling and contracting the pelvic floor muscles for the first month, how to unconsciously train the muscles for the second month and how to integrate those exercises throughout daily life for the third month.
The absorbent material dries in minutes.
The undergarments are the first of their kind to pass both EU and American regulations and passed the RF test. They contain no wires and require minimal training to use, which helps users who are embarrassed conceal their condition. With this underwear and its features, new mothers may be able to retrain their weakened pelvic floor muscles and regain control of their bladder.
LifeSense is working toward expanding the undergarment’s target audience from new mothers to children and seniors, as well as anyone else who experiences urinary incontinence. The company also hopes to start a line that will monitor diabetes and fertility.
The standard set of underwear, Carin Basic, comes in white, lavender, black or black lace and is available on their website.
