Scientists have created a wearable sensor that attaches to your underwear and tracks your gut bacteria in real time by measuring the hydrogen gas in your flatulence. And no, that’s not a setup for a joke.
Researchers at the University of Maryland developed the device to solve a problem that has plagued microbiome research for years: how to actually monitor what gut bacteria are doing hour by hour, not just which species are living in there. The answer, it turns out, involves a tiny sensor clipped near your bottom that passively records data while you go about your day.
It’s probably easier just to buy one that’s already premade. They’re not prohibitively expensive (at least not the ones that are too large to fit in your pants). Just be sure to read the specs for what it can detect, and learn what each one means.
If you really enjoy soldering, you can buy the components from an electrical supply store (think like radio shack) and then wire them together with an LCD display and program them yourself.