The Smart Diaper : Now with RFID

Recall just such a proposal, long ago.  Not sure of any patent status.  Some interesting details in the full article below.

Low-cost “smart” diaper can notify caregiver when it’s wet

Design combines a common diaper material with RFID technology.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office

For some infants, a wet diaper is cause for an instant, vociferous demand to be changed, while other babies may be unfazed and happy to haul around the damp cargo for lengthy periods without complaint. But if worn too long, a wet diaper can cause painful rashes, and miserable babies — and parents.

Now MIT researchers have developed a “smart” diaper embedded with a moisture sensor that can alert a caregiver when a diaper is wet. When the sensor detects dampness in the diaper, it sends a signal to a nearby receiver, which in turn can send a notification to a smartphone or computer.

The sensor consists of a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, that is placed below a layer of super absorbent polymer, a type of hydrogel that is typically used in diapers to soak up moisture. When the hydrogel is wet, the material expands and becomes slightly conductive — enough to trigger the RFID tag to send a radio signal to an RFID reader up to 1 meter away.

The researchers say the design is the first demonstration of hydrogel as a functional antenna element for moisture sensing in diapers using RFID. They estimate that the sensor costs less than 2 cents to manufacture, making it a low-cost, disposable alternative to other smart diaper technology.  ... " 

Pampers and Diaper Tech War: Smart Diapers?

Have not seen a play in this area for some time,  early on Apps popped up.  Is this appealing to parents making a diaper choice? 

Baby tech: Pampers to deliver a big diaper change
by Nancy Cohen , Tech Xplore

In some home soon, a new parent will enjoy a smartphone glance as the first-time mom reads messages like Claire's diaper is dry. Bottle 46 minutes ago. Asleep 1 hour 22 minutes.

The phone messages are just part of an entire system coming from Pampers. Instead of just pushing out a debut of diapers tracking urine, Pampers has intentions of bring you a connected care system called Lumi. That is tech talk for telling a parent when the baby has wet the diaper plus delivering other information.

It is not on shelves now; the Pampers site is inviting visitors to sign up for a waiting list. The system is planned for this fall.

How Lumi works: "The sensor keeps an eye on the blue wetness strip outside of the diaper to determine how soaked it is... you'll need to buy Lumi-optimized version of the diapers to use the sensor, as they have larger and more visible wetness strips," said Devindra Hardewar in Engadget.

But wait, there is more. Marie Baca in The Washington Post said Pampers intends to send the user the baby's wake and sleep times and feeding times.

After all, could a smart diaper that just announces urine alone make consumers pop the corks. No. Hardewar commented that Pampers "is aiming for something a bit more expansive. The Lumi system is meant to make an infant's first year easier for parents by delivering as much data as possible."

(The 1080p wide-angle HD monitor has night vision and two-way audio. It tracks room temperature and humidity, according to the Pampers site.)

To understand why Pampers would want to expand into smart diaper territory, a follow-the-money analysis appeared in May, in Vox. Pampers is hardly a lone player in the "sprawling diaper-tech war."  ....  '

Smart Diapers Design with Sensors

Used to work at a company that competed in this space.  In Design, manufacturing and marketing.    Will this compete?

Alphabet’s Verily has a “smart diaper“ design that distinguishes pee from poo   Beyond simple moisture detectors, this techy nappy will analyze the latest download.  By Beth Mole in ArsTechnica

Tech companies are always hoping to clear out the competition with their latest wearable. But Alphabet's life sciences division, Verily, is likely expecting a blow-out with this one.

The company, formerly known as Google Life Sciences, has a patent-pending plan for a wirelessly connected “smart diaper” that would not only alert a caregiver when there’s a new “event” but also analyze and identify the fresh download—i.e., is it a number one or number two? The connected, absorbent gadget will sound the alarm via a connected device and potentially an app, which can catalogue and keep a record of events.

Verily is not the first to try to plumb the potential of derrière devices for babies. Many companies have come before with simple to high-tech moisture sensors—from color-changing strips to wireless alarms. But, Verily argues in its patent application, the market is lacking a convenient, affordable, all-in-one design that can differentiate between a wee squirt and a code brown. While both require attention and a change, a festering or explosive diaper bomb often requires more urgency, particularly if a baby is dealing with diaper rash.  ... " 

Amazon Shuts Down Diapers.com

Does this mean that Amazon cannot compete with directly with certain kinds of CPG plays?   In Recode: 

Amazon is shutting down Diapers.com — whose founder is now at war with Amazon
The site was part of Amazon’s fourth-largest acquisition back in 2011.   By Jason Del Rey   @Delrey

Amazon said on Wednesday that it is shutting down Quidsi, one of its largest-ever acquisitions, which runs six shopping sites, including Diapers.com, Soap.com and Wag.com. ... " 

Amazon Selling Diapers Under a new Name

It remains interesting that Amazon will attempt to compete in classic private label brands:

In Retailwire:

" ... Parents don't take diapers lightly. Amazon discovered this about a year ago when it discontinued its line of private label diapers amid complaints of poor quality by consumers. The diapers, released under the Amazon Elements moniker, only stayed on the market a little over a month. But a report by ReCode indicated that the e-tailer may be back in the diaper game with a slightly different strategy.

Amazon, according to the report, has been contacting users with a market research survey about a brand called "Mama Bear" diapers. The survey solicited reactions to "Mama Bear" diapers' branding. It asked if the branding evokes a "high quality product" and if the survey recipient would have an interest in purchasing the diapers.   .. " 

Amazon pulls Diaper Brand

This very notable private label introduction has been pulled after six weeks on the market.  In GigaOM.  They say for redesign.   Do expect more examples of private label CPG from Amazon, leveraging their delivery and consumer knowledge expertise.

Amazon Private Label Diapers

In Retailwire: Amazon competing with major CPG.  Amazon has the consumer data to compete with Pampers.  Amazon has sold P&G products directly for years.   This will be interesting to follow.   " ... Amazon has launched Amazon Elements, a new line of private label diapers and baby wipes offered exclusively to Amazon Prime members. The launch has been rumored for over a year based on job postings. ... " 

Includes a video which points to Amazon's extensive use of consumer research on the use of diapers and also emphasizes their on time delivery reputation.  A well done, convincing ad.

High Performance Computing in CPG

Video by a former colleague,  Tom Lange, about how High Performance Computing (HPC) is used in consumer packaged goods at Procter & Gamble.  " ....     From toothpaste to diapers to dish soap, companies like Procter & Gamble use high performance computing to create better, more efficient, more cost effective products and services to improve our everyday lives. ... "  And more on HPC in other domains. 

Kroger Knows Your Shopping Habits

In Forbes:  Good overview of what is fairly common practice in the use of analytics in retail/CPG today. " ... Working with dunnhumby, the customer data specialist which so impressed the UK’s Tesco that the grocer bought the firm, Kroger tracks each customer as an individual.... 

Those quarterly mailers contain 12 coupons specific to an individual household and are carefully designed. The upper left may offer a slightly esoteric product like a special cheese, while Tide may be lower on the flyer and the last two coupons might be experiments, such as adjacent products — a purchaser of baby food who doesn’t buy diapers might see an offer for diapers, for example. Eighty percent of dunnhumby’s effort is focused on what it knows about a customer and 20 percent is focused on discovery. ... " 

Amazon Ships from Inside P&G

Not surprising, this has now been going on for years.  Still not enough volume to upset Wal-Mart?   " ...  Amazon has placed its workers in seven Procter & Gamble (PG) warehouses, where they ship consumer staples such as Pampers diapers and Bounty paper towels directly to consumers.Under a program called Vendor Flex, Amazon has had this exclusive under-the-radar relationship with Procter & Gamble for three years. The e-commerce giant is also located inside, or is in talks to enter, the warehouses of other suppliers, including Kimberley Clark (KMB). ... " 

Smart Digital Diapers go Mobile

In the NYT: A Digital Diaper that tracks infants health.   Reminds me of the 'smart toilet' idea pioneered in Japan.  Had not heard this specifically talked about in R&D in the diaper space.  The connection to a smartphone App makes it an example of a remote heath monitor.    " .... A New York start-up called Pixie Scientific has developed a diaper that the company says can detect possible urinary tract infections, kidney dysfunctions, and dehydration, accompanied by a smartphone app that can transmit the information to a physician. ... "  Also in Venturebeat.