The world’s first electronic underpants, especially designed for the aged and infirm, will soon be rolled out by an Australian company, Simavita.

After successful trials in Victoria, the company will use the SIMsystem in homes for the aged across New South Wales to monitor incontinence among them.

Chief Executive Philippa Lewis said, “Incontinence management is a key area in which innovative technologies can benefit aged care. We developed SIMsystem to provide greater comfort and dignity to the elderly while aiming to significantly lower costs for aged care facilities”.

Almost akin to a regular incontinence pad, these underpants have a disposable element, which include a detachable transmitter that passes on readings from the pad's sensor strip over a wireless network to a central computer.

The sensor strip alerts staff to wetness by text message or over the facility's paging system.

About more than 90% of the aged Australians, who are living in care facilities are suffering from incontinence, which keeps the staff busy the whole day as frequent manual checks are needed.

Lewis shared that this invention will reduce the time spent on incontinence management by half, at nursing homes.