An apparatus for anticipating and facilitating metabolic activity of an occupant in a vehicle includes a measurement part measuring a volume of a bladder using a sensor mounted in the vehicle; a rest area information calculator calculating information on a rest area including a distance to the rest area which may be reached within a predetermined time or an expected time of arrival to the rest area which may be reached, according to rest area location information and vehicle speed information; and a guidance part providing indication information including the volume of the bladder or the information on the rest area.

Systems and methods for generating notifications based on bladder volume signals and bladder muscle signals are disclosed. A system includes a processor, a plurality of bladder electrical signal application electrodes, a plurality of bladder volume measurement electrodes, a plurality of bladder muscle measurement electrodes, a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory module. When executed by the processor, the machine readable instructions cause the system to output a first electrical output signal with the plurality of bladder electrical signal application electrodes, receive the bladder volume signal at the plurality of bladder volume measurement electrodes in response to the first electrical output signal, receive the bladder muscle signal at the plurality of bladder muscle measurement electrodes, and generate the notification based on the bladder volume signal and the bladder muscle signal.

An implanted device for an organ of a patient including a housing. The device includes a detector having electrodes that have a varying distance over time between them which produces a detector signal based on electrical signals derived from the organ. The device includes a signal processor disposed in the housing in communication with the detector which determines admittance from the detector signal based on the varying distance over time between the electrodes. The device includes a drive circuit disposed in the housing to cause the electrodes to generate emitted electrical signals. A method for monitoring a patient's organ.

In some examples, a device includes a catheter insert elongated body defining a body lumen, the catheter insert elongated body being configured to be at least partially inserted to a catheter lumen defined by a catheter without covering a first fluid opening of the catheter and to form a fluidically tight coupling with the catheter, and one or more sensors positioned on the elongated body. At least one of the one or more sensors are configured to sense a substance of interest. The catheter insert elongated body includes a material that is a substantially non-permeable to the substance of interest.

A bedwetting monitoring method implemented by a computer, bladder monitoring device and a patient alert device and includes determining a urination volume of a bladder of a patient at which a patient will urinate, determining a trigger volume of the bladder of the patient representing a volume that is less than the urination volume, monitoring a volume of the bladder of the patient with a bladder monitoring device, and alerting the patient with the patient alert device at the trigger volume to wake the patient prior to urination.

What is provided is a method and apparatus for modifying bladder function comprising: applying a dermal patch having an integral electrode in proximity to a sacral or pudendal nerve; selecting the sacral or pudendal nerve by a sensor integral on the dermal patch; determining a stimulation corresponding to the sacral or pudendal nerve, by logic of the dermal patch; applying the stimulation by the electrodes and a stimulator integral to the dermal patch to produce an electric field; and selectively activating the sacral or pudendal nerve by the electric field.

An occupant assist apparatus (12) has: a receiving device (121) for receiving an occupant information relating to an occupant of a vehicle; an estimating device (122) for estimating, on the basis of the occupant information, at least one of a desire of the occupant to urinate and a desire of the occupant to defecate in a future than a timing when the occupant information is received; and an executing device (123) for executing an occupant assist on the basis of a result of an estimation by the estimating device.

A wearable ultrasound device for signalling changes in human or animal body, and use of such a wearable device for signalling over a prolonged period of time. In an example the changes occur in a bladder. Such is especially relevant for elderly persons, women after delivery of a baby, lesion patients, demented people, children, and others, have a difficulty to control functioning of the bladder, and to be at the toilet on time to urinate.

The present disclosure relates generally to estimating an interior diameter of a hollow organ. As such, one aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system that can include a light-based distance sensor and a device housing the light-based distance sensor located within the hollow organ. The light-based distance sensor can include an emitter and a detector. The emitter can transmit a conical beam of light to an inner surface of a hollow organ. The detector can receive a portion of the light back-reflected from the inner surface of the hollow organ. The device can determine a volume of the hollow organ based on a signal related to the back-reflected portion of the light, which can be based on a distance between the light-based distance sensor and the inner surface of the hollow organ.

A bladder monitoring system includes a scanning system and a wearable bladder monitoring device (or patch). The scanning system obtains scan data that shows a bladder in a patient and identifies, based on the scan data, a placement location on the patient for the wearable bladder monitoring device. The scanning system indicates the placement location to a user; and identifies customization settings for one or more sensors of the wearable bladder monitoring device to enable the one or more sensors to detect extents of the bladder when the wearable bladder monitoring device is attached at the placement location.