Digital diaper tracks baby's health, not just nappy change time

Pixie Scientific's Smart Diapers (Pixie Scientific)

A new sensor-embedded diaper tracks not only when it's time for a nappy change but also your baby's hydration and kidney health, and alerts parents when it's time to call a doctor.

New York-based Pixie Scientific has developed urine-tracking Smart Diapers, which feature a QR code on the bottom of the diaper that changes colors when your baby has urinated. Parents can then scan the code with their smartphone using a companion app to log the data.

The app can then analyze the results to measure the risks for urinary tract infection, dehydration, and kidney problems, and can track health patterns over time. If it detects a problem, an alert lets parents know when it's time to call a doctor.

The company launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in order to begin manufacturing its product and is conducting a study with the University of California San Francisco. Pixie Scientific is aiming to secure approval from the US Food and Drug Administration as well.

A pledge of $90 will get you a 30-day supply of Smart Diapers, with shipping planned for March 2014.

Other savvy diapers in the works include Huggies' TweetPee, which debuted as a test product in Brazil in May. The diapers send tweets via a clip-on monitor to a companion app when they sense wetness in the diaper and can remind busy parents when it's time to buy a fresh pack.