Research
Better questions start with better measurements
Ventos grew out of a device originally called “Smart Underwear,” developed by Professors Brantley Hall and Santiago Botasini at the University of Maryland to monitor hydrogen in flatus during daily life. Now we’re exploring how everyday gas patterns relate to food, microbes, and how people feel.
The first studies · Published in 2025
First, could we measure gas in everyday life
Nineteen participants wore Smart Underwear during waking hours for a week. We then tested whether it could detect a change after added fiber in the 38-person GUMDROP study. These early studies measured daytime patterns, not overnight gas.
GUMDROP · 38 participants
Low fiber. High fiber
A measurable difference
Participants followed a low-fiber diet and consumed control gumdrops on one day and inulin-containing gumdrops on the next. They wore Smart Underwear for eight hours after each challenge.
The Microbiome Activity Index increased with inulin in 36 of 38 participants. This demonstrates that the sensing technology behind Ventos can detect a gas response to added fermentable fiber.
The connected pairs show how much each person’s recorded hydrogen activity changed. Responses varied substantially, even under the same study protocol.
The index is a proxy for gas volume. It is not a good-or-bad score: more gas after fermentable fiber does not, by itself, mean worse gut health.
Lactose study · DDW 2026 abstract and poster
Producing gas and noticing it are different
In a randomized, double-blind crossover study, 37 participants consumed 20 grams of lactose on one day and 20 grams of sucrose on another, with eight hours of recording after each challenge.
Among the 24 participants classified as intervention responders, the day with higher measured activity was the lactose day in 22 cases. Reports of excessive flatulence identified it in 12.
Objective measurements and symptom reports capture different parts of the experience. Measuring both gives us a fuller picture.
Which day was the lactose day
Ventos × LOAM · Completed validation study
Three interventions
Distinct gas responses
We recently completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled validation study with more than 90 participants, comparing inulin, LOAM, and cellulose.
Ventos measurements clearly differentiated the gas responses to the three interventions.
Preliminary findings
More than 90 participants.
Inulin. LOAM. Cellulose.
A blinded comparison of how different interventions affect measured gas patterns.
The Human Flatus Atlas
It’s 2026. We still lack a clear baseline for human gas patterns
How often do people fart in everyday life? How much do patterns vary from person to person, with meals, and across the day and night? Small studies and self-reports have left major gaps in this basic knowledge.
The Human Flatus Atlas is working to establish that baseline through continuous measurements in everyday life, alongside meal photos and reports of digestive symptoms.
95.1%
of Human Flatus Atlas respondents said Ventos was comfortable to wear.
- Establish reference ranges for daily flatus patterns.
- Map variation between people, with diet, and across day and night.
- Understand how measured gas relates to what people feel.
Help us discover how Zen Digestion works
The Zen Digester Study pairs Ventos recordings with Tiny Health microbiome testing. Receive your personal gas profile, full Tiny Health results, and a combined report while helping us investigate why gas patterns differ.
The study explores relationships. It has not established that Ventos improves food tolerance or treats symptoms. Ventos is for research and general wellness.