Portable urinary incontinence management device

Urinary incontinence (UI) and overactive bladder (OAB) are common problems that influence the quality of life for millions of people, mostly due to overactivity of detrusor muscles. It is under-researched, and stigmatising. Compared to many conventional approaches, e.g., pharmacological intervention and bladder catheterisation, functional electrical stimulation (FES), especially the transcutaneous type, is attractive for people of all ages. It has few side effects but still shows comparable efficacy. However, today's FES devices are bulky, requires assistance during operation and cannot be used an extended period of time. We intend to create an easy way to use FES device targeted for OAB application that older people can use on their own.

This project aims to develop a wearable device that helps patients self-manage urinary incontinence. The device will depend on making clinically proven transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) available as an un-obtrusive wearable device (e.g., a sock). We will also consider monitoring the state of the bladder using wearable ultrasound patch and create a closed-loop with the TTNS device. This project is dependent on close collaboration between clinical research in urinary incontinence and novel technologies in wearable sensor/actuator.