WeeCare: Towards Handheld Bladder Fullness Sensing with a Conformable Pad

2026-05-25

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge faced by patients with bladder dysfunction who often lose the sensation of bladder filling, leading to reliance on timed catheterization that can cause discomfort and complications. To enable on-demand, non-invasive monitoring of bladder volume, this work proposes WeeCare—a reusable, handheld flexible patch that uniquely integrates textile-based flexible electrodes with electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Through comprehensive validation via computational simulations, ex vivo phantom experiments, and in vivo human trials, the system demonstrates robustness and accuracy across varying urine conductivity levels and bladder filling states. Notably, the design effectively mitigates signal drift commonly associated with conventional EIT systems due to electrode displacement and unstable skin contact, thereby offering a reliable solution for real-world bladder monitoring.

Abstract

Patients with bladder dysfunction often lose the sensation of bladder fullness and cannot void naturally, forcing reliance on fixed-schedule catheterization that is uncomfortable and risks complications. We present WeeCare, a handheld conformable pad with fabric electrodes for on-demand bladder fullness sensing using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). The central challenge is that repeated removal and reattachment can introduce variation in electrode position and contact quality. We assess WeeCare along three axes: in-silico simulations characterizing electrode layout and noise robustness, in-vitro phantom experiments across urine salinities and filling levels, and an in-vivo human measurement for bladder fullness sensing, voiding, and filling dynamics.

Problem

• bladder dysfunction
• bladder fullness sensing
• electrical impedance tomography
• conformable pad
• on-demand sensing

Innovation

• electrical impedance tomography
• conformable pad
• bladder fullness sensing
• fabric electrodes
• handheld device