We take toilets for granted, right? However, a team made up of ambitious researchers has come up with a completely automated sensor package that can transform your existing toilet. The smart toilet is a self-contained system that runs autonomously by making use of pressure and motion sensors.
Once it has been installed onto a conventional sit-down toilet, it monitors your health by analyzing your poop and urine for factors including consistency, glucose, color, and red blood cell count. It is capable of detecting conditions including chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney failure, and even prostate cancer. It is highly beneficial to those who are genetically exposed to certain conditions.
Professor and Chair of Radiology at Stanford University, Sanjiv Gambhir, is the person behind this project. Sanjiv said, ‘Our concept dates back well over 15 years. When I’d bring it up, people would sort of laugh because it seemed like an interesting idea, but also a bit odd.’ The contraption is a bit odd indeed. It comes with an interesting built-in identification system. The researchers thought of adding fingerprint technology to the flush lever but decided to move in a different direction. They incorporated a small camera that is used for scanning the anus. Gambhir says, ‘We know it seems weird, but as it turns out, your anal print is unique.’
This smart toilet autonomously sends the data that is extracted and analyzed from the sample to a secure and cloud-based system. As per its creators, the system can also be integrated into hospitals’ record-keeping system for the sake of quick and easy access. The project is still in its early stages and the researchers have no intention of it replacing a doctor or diagnosis. It is only focused on alerting the user of any red flags come up that might warrant medical attention. The research was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.