Withings is already known for smart scales, blood pressure monitors and smartwatches for health monitoring. Now, however, the French company is going a big step further: At this year’s CES, it is presenting what it says is the world’s first platform for analyzing biomarkers in urine for home use: U-Scan. Withings announced this shortly before the official start of the trade fair in Las Vegas.
U-Scan, which the company says has taken four years of research and development, fits into the toilet bowl and helps evaluate a wide range of health values and information in human urine. According to the manufacturer, the synchronization with the “Health Mate” app should give you “a wealth of usable insights based on the daily readings”.
Users are recognized by the beam
The U-Scan reader, with a diameter of 90 mm and a rechargeable battery, is said to be able to distinguish urine from other liquids and automatically funnel samples for analysis. Thanks to the spherical design, urine flows efficiently to a collection inlet, according to Withings. The urine sample is then fed into a test capsule, where an optical module reads the chemical reaction. The remaining liquid is discharged through a drain, after which the system is cleaned with each flush.
Inside the Withings U-Scan there is, among other things, a temperature sensor that detects the presence of urine and a pump that directs the urine sample into a test capsule. An optical module records the chemical reaction.
But U-Scan should not only distinguish urine from other liquids, but also be able to assign the urine sample to the respective (registered) user. With this feature, dubbed Stream-ID, low-power radar sensors embedded in the reader measure multiple variables to identify the “individual signature of a person’s urine stream,” including the movement and distance of the stream. According to Withings, the stream ID information can be confirmed (and probably corrected) in the app.
With different cartridges, the Withings urine laboratory is able to carry out different tests.
High entry price
U-Scan is scheduled to be available in Europe from the second quarter of 2023 with the Nutri Balance and Cycle Sync consumer cartridges mentioned above. A U-Scan starter kit for 500 euros contains the U-Scan reader and a cartridge which, according to the manufacturer, should enable tests over a period of three months. After that, users should be able to subscribe to an automatic refill for an estimated 30 euros per month or buy individual cartridges on the company’s official website.
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(nij)
