Being in control of one’s bladder is a subjective thing, as some of us are born with naturally weak bladders, making us an expert as to which public toilet is the cleanest. Others who have the misfortune of suffering from nerve damage or other conditions also lack the level of bladder found in normal people, which is why Ms. Angelene Ozolins has designed the AssureFlow concept device. This unique device comes with a switchable on-off tap for the bladder which is controlled manually, providing a person the level of dignity and control never available before in an ingenious concept.

Designed to act on behalf of the bladder’s natural function, the AssureFlow comprises of two parts – an internal valve which is implanted into the patient’s urethra, while a handheld actuator utilizes inductive heat to operate the valve. The internal valve itself comprises of a trio of co-centric stent-like tubes, where a pair are made from shape memory alloy Nitinol. Nitinol’s properties enables it to become superelastic above a certain temperature or stress level, while hardening at a lower temperature. These thresholds can be set by manipulating the metal composition in the alloy itself.

Whenever the outer tube is heated to the body’s temperature, it will turn rigid by compressing the inner tube, hence preventing the outflow of any urine thanks to a watertight seal. Whenever heat above the body’s temperature from the external actuator is applied, the inner tube will expand, hence creating an opening for you to ease yourself. The handheld actuator itself is tiny and discreet, and is operated by pressing two buttons simultaneously before the valve is activated. A USB port and some memory are also included to store information concerning the patient’s voiding patterns. While the AssureFlow remains a concept at the moment, it is definitely an interesting device that could help millions of people suffering from urinary incontinence worldwide should it be commercially produced on a mass scale.

Source: Gizmag