Bench Talk

(Source: Andrea Izzotti/stock adobe)

Every day we flush away a wealth of information about our health. The idea of testing waste may be unpleasant, but these tests can provide information about infections, certain types of cancers, diabetes, and many more diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists tested wastewater for the virus and were able to monitor outbreaks by mapping the amount of the virus in the wastewater combined with where the wastewater was coming from.

Advanced toilets contain onboard waste-sampling equipment, such as cameras to monitor the consistency of stool or the flow of urine. Future toilets may even be able to capture and process stool samples. Automating sample collection at home could make getting routine screens more palatable. Automation would also simplify long-term patient monitoring by providing regular updates to a patient’s healthcare provider with no extra effort from the patient.

For patients with food allergies or sensitivities, a smart toilet paired with a food journal provides detailed insights on triggering foods. Many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) keep food journals to help pinpoint the cause of flare-ups. If the food journal was in an app accessible by the toilet, then the toilet could compare what comes out to what goes in to give users important information on how their bodies respond to certain foods. With enough data, the application could even predict potentially triggering foods.

Continuous health monitoring is also an exciting trend for health- and fitness-conscious consumers. There’s a popular joke in the running and cycling communities that if you didn’t track your activity with your smart device, it didn’t count. The kind of people who like to share every run and bike ride might even push for a social feed to share their bathroom activities and personal records with their followers.

Machine learning algorithms in smart toilets can build user profiles and learn each person’s norm to better understand deviations from the norm that might be worth alerting the user about. In addition to machine learning algorithms, traditional urinalysis strips provide instant tried-and-true results.

Urinalysis strips contain a reagent that changes color based on the concentrations of parameters such as pH, glucose, protein, ketones, and blood. Urinalysis strips with multiple reagents are available off the shelf, offering ten or more different tests on a single strip. Optical sensors can interpret the color results of a multi-test strip, giving smart toilets the ability to quickly capture a wide variety of health metrics from urine. Users would get early notifications of conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), diabetes, kidney disorders, and pregnancy.

Designing for maintenance does present challenges. When a smart toilet malfunctions, should users call a plumber or an IT technician? Manufacturers will need to have customer support, trained technicians, and replacement parts. Installation may require electrical work, as many bathrooms do not have an extra outlet near the toilet.

A critical step in smart toilet operation is identifying users. One solution from researchers at Stanford University is as clever as it is unsettling—a scanner that identifies users by capturing a unique print of their hindquarters. But let’s not dwell on this.

The point is that one of the biggest challenges for smart toilets is social rather than technological. People will have to be okay with their most sensitive data being analyzed. To put it simply, the ick factor will be the first major barrier to adoption.

Data privacy will be more important than ever before. Because the information smart toilets collect will be shared with healthcare providers, it will be protected as medical information. The last thing smart toilet users want is a breach of sensitive data, or targeted ads based on their bathroom habits. Wireless transmitters in smart toilets will need to send encrypted information to the database they’re connected to.

There are also ethical concerns with continuously monitoring people’s waste. Smart toilets could detect the presence of alcohol or prescription or illegal drugs that users may want to keep private. If you’re a guest in a home that has a smart toilet, is there a way to opt out of the smart features and turn it into a traditional toilet?

Finally, sensitive electronics in a toilet will need to stay calibrated and clean to maintain optimal performance. Many would consider toilets to be a harsh environment, so electrical connections and components will need to be sealed for protection from moisture. Toilets are also not sterile, creating the potential for contaminated tests and false positives.

While we may not enjoy thinking about our waste, the real waste is flushing away valuable health information. Smart toilets offer exciting diagnostic and health metric opportunities, but one of the biggest barriers to adoption will be users needing to consent to having their most intimate data analyzed.

To learn more about how smart toilets can provide advanced health metrics, check out Mouser’s companion article.