WeeCare: Towards Handheld Bladder Fullness Sensing with a Conformable Pad

Abstract

Patients with bladder dysfunction often lose the sensation of bladder fullness and cannot void naturally, forcing reliance on fixed-schedule catheterization that is uncomfortable and risks complications. We present WeeCare, a handheld conformable pad with fabric electrodes for on-demand bladder fullness sensing using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). The central challenge is that repeated removal and reattachment can introduce variation in electrode position and contact quality. We assess WeeCare along three axes: in-silico simulations characterizing electrode layout and noise robustness, in-vitro phantom experiments across urine salinities and filling levels, and an in-vivo study tracking voiding dynamics and fullness sensing across 8 participants, with filling dynamics characterized in a single participant. Our results provide an early assessment of WeeCare's feasibility under controlled conditions.