At the Lodz University of Technology, prototype underwear is produced to support the prevention and treatment of lower urinary tract inflammation. Underwear has, among others contain heating inserts that maintain a safe temperature at the treatment site and improve its effectiveness.
The author of the project is 25-year-old Emilia Frydrysiak, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences of the Lodz University of Technology, who won the XNUMXth edition of the Innovation is a Woman competition of the Women of Science Foundation.
The project involves the development of a prototype promedical underwear supporting the prevention and treatment of lower urinary tract inflammation. This is to ensure, among others making microcapsules with essential oils, e.g. chamomile or sage, and microcapsules with cranberry extract or juice, and applying them to textile substrates. Heating inserts that maintain a safe temperature at the treatment site are to contribute to the improvement of the effectiveness of the treatment process.
It is underwear with four types of inserts implemented, one of which will have textile heating electrodes. Two inserts will have an insulating application and a removable insert will be placed on top. This is where compounds supporting the treatment of lower urinary tract infections will be placed. They will be released under the influence of increased temperature thanks to heating electrodes – Emilia Frydrysiak told PAP on Wednesday.
This solution combines knowledge in the field of, among others medicine, microbiology and textiles. Its advantage over traditional forms of therapy, including steam baths, is the ease of use. The three permanent inserts can be washed together with the underwear. The heating system and microcapsules are part of the garment, and the underwear is comfortable to use and does not require specialist handling by the user – says the author of the project.
The winning design was submitted for patent. Its creator hopes that the work on the underwear prototype will be completed next year at the latest. We are currently working on its component parts – she added.
According to her, it is supposed to be underwear for women, because – statistically – women suffer from lower urinary tract inflammation 50 times more often than men. According to statistics, even every second woman meets it at least once in a lifetime.
The project is part of the doctoral dissertation of the researcher from Łódź. He is trying to obtain grants for it, but for the time being he is financing the research on his own.
Emilia Frydrysiak is in the first year of doctoral studies at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences at the Lodz University of Technology. She is also a student of chemical and process engineering at this university.
He will present his innovative project at the turn of October and November at the iENA invention fair, organized in Nuremberg, Germany. (PAP)