Withings is already well known for its smart health products and its latest offering, the U-Scan – is your own mini health lab that sits in your toilet bowl so it can test your urine.
U-Scan has been in development for four years and can reveal vital health information found in your daily urine.
Urine has more than 3000 metabolites and is a popular way to monitor one’s health and provides an accurate snapshot of your body’s balance and health as well as detecting a variety of medical conditions.
Even though we urinate seven times a day on average, we only take one urine test per year.
With the Withings U-Scan you can now gain that important information in the privacy of your own home.
The device itself is disc-shaped and comes with a clip so you can place it securely inside your toilet bowl.
Inside is a cartridge which designed to provide different readings and for different sexes.
At launch, there will be two consumer cartridges – U-Scan Cycle for women who want to track their monthly cycle and ovulation windows and U-Scan Balance which can provide a detailed look at your hydration and nutrition.
“The ability of U-Scan to perform daily urine analysis from the home allows Withings to take its mission to help consumers and physicians fully utilise urine data to an entirely new level,” said Mathieu Letombe, Withings CEO.
“It’s one of the most exciting and complex products we have ever announced which will help people manage health outcomes and prevent countless diseases.
“We begin this journey with U-Scan Cycle and Balance and look forward to announcing many more programs on an ongoing basis.”
The Withings U-Scan reader is 90 millimetres in diameter and is shaped to funnel samples for analysis.
The urine flows through a collection inlet because of its pebble-shaped design.
Samples are injected into a test pod where the chemical reaction is read by an optical module.
The results are then displayed on the Health Mate companion app.
U-Scan can even distinguish between various users in your house thanks to its Stream ID feature which can measure multiple variables to distinguish an individual’s urine stream signature.
The Health Mate app provides results, insights and guidance to point out any abnormalities.
The device can measure hydration and acid levels and can combine cycle tracking, coaching and journaling in one place.
The device can also display results like carb balance and pH levels and even recommend workouts and dietary changes to help users achieve their health goals.
Pricing and availability in Australia are yet to be announced.
* Stephen Fenech travelled to Las Vegas with support from Samsung, LG, Hisense and ASUS.
