Sleepy: Textile-Based Wet Detecting System

Project Description

Sleepee is a textile-based wet detecting system for domestic use. It’s a non-invasive device for children that aims to prevent bedwetting by gently awakening them as soon as the first urine drips appear. It’s estimated that between 10% and 15% of children in Europe age 5 to 10 face enuresis issues, representing 2.6 million children that Sleepee could help. This solution offers an alternative to drug treatment.

Sleepy: Smart Underwear for Potty Training

Sleepee is a textile-based wet detecting system for domestic use.

How Sleepy Works

The Sleepee working principle is as follows: conductive yarns are integrated inside the child’s underwear, which is made with eco-friendly bamboo fibres. When the Sleepee device is snapped onto the underwear, the yarns allow for detection of the first urine drips that could appear. The alarm is then activated (by ringing and/or vibrating) to wake up the child and help him/her to get rid of enuresis. Once the anti-enuresis treatment ends, the underwear can still be used as a standard undergarment.

The underwear’s white area is stitched with conductive yarns that send a wet signal to the device.

Development and SmartX support

Through the E-POT project, the partners intend to introduce to market an innovative anti-enuresis device by proposing a part of the sensor directly embedded in the underwear without further discomfort for the wearer. The financial support from SmartX has allowed the project partners to make progress on the development of Sleepee in good time. It has also allowed them to benefit from coaching by appropriate experts to remove technological obstacles. By the end of the project, Bluegriot, the project coordinator, expects to distribute the Sleepee device in several European countries.

Meet the team

E-POT is a joint project by four SMEs: BlueGrioT and IMATTEC (France) & Bamboo and Emisys (Belgium).

E-POT project team, developers of Sleepy smart underwear

Members of the E-POT project during their first workshop

The project coordinator BLUEGRioT from Loos (est. 2017) designs and manufactures various connected objects. IMATTEC, based in Tourcoing, has expertise in the transformation of synthetic, natural, artificial, and mineral fibres into yarns and fabrics. The core business of BAMBOO from Hechtel-Eksel is the manufacturing of durable garments and underwear. Emisys from Villeneuve-d’Ascq specialises in project and risk management, in addition to business development.