Ever wonder how many times you fart per day? Now’s your chance to find out — and help researchers at the University of Maryland develop a baseline for measuring flatulence that’ll aid physicians responding to patients’ complaints about gas.

Much of the research on farting has relied on small sample sizes or self-reporting, so it doesn’t account for gas people produce while sleeping and other variables, experts say. This led to the belief that people produce intestinal gas 10 to 12 times per day, but scientists at the College Park-based university found healthy adults fart 32 times per day on average.

The UMD scientists reached this conclusion through Smart Underwear, a wearable device that easily snaps onto any underpants and uses sensors to track the wearer’s intestinal gas. The device is about the size of a quarter in diameter and three quarters thick, said Brantley Hall, an assistant professor at UMD and the co-inventor of Smart Underwear.

The university is searching for people to be a part of the Human Flatus Atlas, a study they’re conducting using Smart Underwear. Scientists began accepting applications at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and already have around 900 interested candidates, said Hall, who’s leading the research. The goal of the nationwide study — the first of its kind — is to quantify human farting and assess what various ranges reveal about people’s gut health.

“There’s many potential causes of [gastrointestinal] distress, and there’s many tests for the different ones. This adds another test that we can help figure out if this is a true problem or this is not a problem, and help them get the right medical care,” Hall told The Banner. “That’s my ultimate goal.”

To be considered, participants have to complete an eligibility survey. If chosen, they’ll receive the Smart Underwear by mail. The study is exclusive to nonpregnant people over the age of 18 who are based in the U.S., Hall explained. Of the 900 or so applicants, over 50 have already been rejected, and scientists in Hall’s lab have started shipping out the circular fart monitors, he said.

The lab has the capacity to ship only up to 30 or 40 per day, so it may take them a couple of weeks to get everyone their Smart Underwear, Hall said. Initially, they only secured 800 devices for this research, so they may have to pause enrollment, he added.

Researchers will require participants to wear the Smart Underwear for at least three consecutive days (24 hours per day), log their food through photos in the team’s mobile app, and complete a survey on the device’s comfort. Based on the food photos they share, participants will fall into one of three categories:

• Zen Digesters: Those with a high-fiber diet, yet minimal farting.
• Hydrogen Hyperproducers: Frequent farters.
• Normal People: Self-explanatory.

In return, participants will get a Tango e-gift card worth up to $50 and, perhaps most importantly, more knowledge about their pooting patterns.

“We have a harder time with people forgetting they snapped this to their underwear, and they wash it. ... You can do most activities with it. People have done a 5K, rugby practice, volleyball practice,” Hall said. “The one thing you can’t do is biking. The bike seat hits right in the same spot.”