Indian Patent
No. 605190
Multifunctional IoT-Based Menstrual Aid for Menstrual Health and Comfort
Developed by Jyothish Kumar J et al. at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bhubaneswar.
Patent granted · India · 605190Wearable comfort.
MIMA / MENSTRUAL CARE, CONNECTED
Wearable comfort.
Connected care.
A specialised garment, responsive heat and a companion app, designed to bring menstrual comfort and physiological insight together. Meet MIMA — Multifunctional IoT Integrated Menstrual Aid.
Explore the app with sample data. No device or account needed.
Indian patent grantedPatent No. 605190Jyothish Kumar J et al. · NIFT Bhubaneswar
The problem
Menstrual care today is fragmented
Isolated solutions exist for separate menstrual problems. Managing a period well can mean buying, charging, and carrying several unrelated products — with no shared picture of what is actually happening in your body.
Cramps
Dysmenorrhea handled with a separate heating pad or gel pack that you adjust by hand.
Leakage & stains
Pad placement and leak protection affect everyday confidence and comfort.
Rashes & friction
Adhesive-backed pads and pad wings rub against skin, causing friction rashes and irritation.
No shared data
Cycle records and physiological measurements often live in separate tools.
Today that isMenstrual underwear+Sanitary pads+Heating pads+Tracking apps→ one platform: MIMA
The product
A garment engineered to do the work
The undergarment is not just a carrier — its high-waisted architecture holds the sustained skin contact that stable textile sensing needs, while a detachable module snaps into a dedicated pocket.
- High-waisted construction for a stable, discreet fit
- Heat-pad pocket seats a detachable control module — PCB, battery, heater
- Leak-proof multilayer gusset
- Wing-pockets receive sanitary-pad wings, holding adhesive off the skin
- Antibacterial fabric for hygiene and odour management
- Everything washable once the module is removed
Architecture
Three parts, designed to work together
The invention has three distinct nodes that work together as a single coordinated system.
Node 1
Specialised undergarment
- High-waisted construction for a stable, discreet fit
- Leak-proof multilayer gusset
- Antibacterial fabric for hygiene and odour management
- Wing-pockets that receive sanitary-pad wings, keeping them off the skin
Node 2
Detachable IoT module
- Controlled, targeted heat for menstrual cramps
- Physiological sensing — muscle activity, pulse rate, intimate-area temperature
- Closed-loop control: heat scales to real-time cramp intensity
- Wireless communication with the app
Node 3
App & care ecosystem
- Menstrual-cycle tracking and IoT module control
- Physiological trends and data-sharing workflows
- Community and nearby menstrual-supply request workflows
- Gynaecological consultation interface
Closed-loop heat therapy
Heat that responds to the cramp
Surface electromyography (sEMG) measures electrical activity in muscles through sensors at the skin. MIMA's closed-loop design uses abdominal muscle activity as an input to the controller, which adjusts the heater and sends session data to the app.
1
Textile sEMG senses abdominal muscle activity
2
Controller estimates cramp onset & intensity
3
Heater actuation & temperature scale to match
4
Session data is logged; sensing continues
Why it is different
What the integration makes possible
The textile, electronics and software each serve a specific role in the design.
The garment is part of the system
A high-waisted fit supports consistent textile-sensor contact. Dedicated pockets position the module and pad wings, while a multilayer gusset provides leak protection.
Sensing informs heat control
Surface electromyography (sEMG) measures muscle activity. The closed-loop design uses this signal to adjust targeted heat, with manual control available through the app.
One view of menstrual well-being
The app brings device controls, cycle records and physiological trends together, alongside proposed community support and clinician-sharing workflows.
The app
The whole system in your pocket
Explore the proposed care experience in an interactive front-end demo with realistic sample data. No real device, backend, or personal data.
Open the interactive demo
Explore device control, insights, the community forum, teleconsultation and the emergency SOS flow — in light or dark mode.
Launch demo app →- Device
Connection status, Auto (EMG closed-loop) vs Manual mode, target-temperature dial, heating toggle, session timer, and live physiological sensing.
- Insights
Cramp intensity by time of day, cycle overview and prediction, pain trend per cycle, pain vs muscle activity, sleep by cycle phase, and a clinician export.
- Community
A forum for menstrual health — groups, upvotes, threaded comments, posting as yourself or anonymously.
- Assistance
Book teleconsultations with gynaecologists, chat, video call, and granular control over what physiological data a clinician can see.
- Emergency (SOS)
A floating button on every screen — broadcast a request (pad, painkiller, custom) to verified users nearby, named or anonymous.
- Profile
Account, device management, preferences, and privacy & data controls.
Patent & research
From research to everyday care
A granted Indian patent and two publications mark the foundations of MIMA.
IEEE International Conference for Omni-layer Intelligent Systems (COINS) 2022, 4th ed., pp. 85–89
MIMA — Multifunctional IoT Integrated Menstrual Aid
The initial concept: combining functional intimate wear and IoT-enabled heat, informed by a survey of menstrual-care needs.
Elsevier — Internet of Things journal
MIMA 2.0 — Compact and Portable Multifunctional IoT Integrated Menstrual Aid
The next iteration: a compact, integrated design with Bluetooth-controlled heating, developed through feedback from target users.
Help bring MIMA to the people who need it
We’re working to bring this invention into everyday use, so its benefits can reach more people. We’d love to hear from investors, potential collaborators, and people interested in joining the team to bring MIMA to market.
Or, if you’re simply curious about the project, we’d be happy to hear from you too.
Let’s talk about MIMA →