Hanyang University Develops 'Smart Bra' That Measures Breast Milk Volume Just by Wearing It

[Financial News] A technology has been developed that allows mothers to check in real time how much breast milk their babies have consumed without having to weigh them each time they breastfeed.
Hanyang University announced on the 30th that a research team led by Professor Hyoungsuk Yoo of the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering at its College of Engineering had developed a smart breastfeeding bra system that combines radio-frequency sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) to determine changes in breast milk volume. The findings were published online in the September issue of the IEEE Internet of Things Journal.
Previously, mothers had to weigh their babies before and after breastfeeding to determine how much breast milk they had consumed. The research team addressed this inconvenience by embedding four flexible antennas that transmit and receive radio waves in a bra designed to be worn as comfortably as clothing. When a substance containing large amounts of water, such as breast milk, accumulates or decreases inside the breast, the signals through which the radio waves pass change. AI analyzes these signal changes and calculates the breast milk volume in reverse.
The experimental results showed that the AI's estimates were highly accurate. In tests using a phantom filled with milk, the error in estimating breast milk volume was only about 0.73 mL, enabling highly precise measurement.
The measured data is immediately sent to a cloud server through Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technology. Guardians and medical professionals can remotely check the baby's feeding records and changes in breast milk volume in real time on a smartphone or computer.
However, this study only confirmed the technology's feasibility using a phantom rather than an actual human body. The research team plans to make the device smaller, further improve it so that movement by the mother does not cause errors, and then proceed with clinical trials.
Professor Hyoungsuk Yoo explained, "We have opened the way to safely monitor breastfeeding conditions by integrating radio-frequency sensors and AI technology into clothing worn in everyday life," adding, "Once commercialized, the technology will be useful not only in homes but also in hospital nurseries for newborns."  

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter