The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
Connected health company Withings (opens in new tab) has announced it will be taking its technology into hitherto unexplored realms with the launch of the U-Scan home urine analyser at CES in Las Vegas.
The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
The Withings U-Scan is a pebble-shaped device that sits in your toilet bowl and automatically detects urine via a thermal sensor (so it can ignore other liquids), identifies who is urinating and analyses certain biomarkers. The results are sent to the Withings Health Mate app, which tells you if you are within the recommended range for these biomarkers, and then advises on action you can take to address any imbalances.
The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
The U-Scan is expected to go on sale in Europe (including the UK) by the end of June, with a US launch expected later in the year once it is cleared by the FDA. The U-Scan uses cartridges that last for around three months before they need replacing. A U-Scan Starter Kit containing the U-Scan itself and one cartridge will cost £499.95/€499.95.
The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
There are two different types of cartridge available at launch: one that analyses your hydration and diet, called Nutri Balance, and one that offers menstrual cycle tracking through hormone analysis, called Cycle Sync. You can use one cartridge at a time in the U-Scan and so far the two cartridges available are for consumers, with cartridges designed for medical purposes due for release following approval.
The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
We spoke to Julius Dewavrin, product manager at Withings, for more information on what the two cartridges track and how they can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
What does the Nutri Balance cartridge track?
It’s a way to follow your body’s metabolism. Nutri Balance enables the detection of four biomarkers to monitor your hydration and nutrition. The first is specific gravity, which is a biomarker linked to your water balance level. You can see whether you have drunk enough water.
The Withings U-Scan Health Tracker Lives In Your Toilet Bowl
The second biomarker is urinary pH and it depends on what you eat. If you eat more acidic food or basic food you will see your urinary pH fluctuate. As a result it’s a useful way to monitor the balance of your nutrition.
The third biomarker is vitamin C. It is well known that it’s good to have enough vitamin C for…