Urine analysis by the new miniaturised health lab enables users to track metabolic insights and helps women to manage monthly cycles
Withings U-Scan is an in-home urine analysis platform. (Credit: PRNewswire/Withings)
Connected health firm Withings has unveiled a new in-home biomarker analysis platform U-Scan, a connected urine monitor that sits in the toilet bowl.
The U-Scan is said to be a miniaturised health lab that fits hygienically within any toilet bowl to assess the health information in daily urine.
According to the firm, the platform provides a quick picture of the body’s balance and is crucial for tracking and identifying a wide range of health data. U-Scan aims to change the frequency of urine analysis by making tests in the convenience and privacy of one’s own restroom.
The connected home urine lab combines a pebble-shaped reader with changeable analysis cartridges to evaluate specific biomarkers without the use of external sample capture or strips, Withings said.
The collected sample will be injected into a test pod inside a rotating cylindrical U-Scan cartridge, where an optical module will assess the chemical reaction. Using the Withings Health Mate app, the in-home urine analysis platform will then deliver information and actionable insights based on daily readings.
The platform will make its debut in Europe with two cartridges for consumer health, with medical versions to follow in the future. These include U-Scan Nutri Balance, a metabolic guide to hydration and nutrition, and U-Scan Cycle Sync for tracking and synchronising women’s monthly cycles.
Withings U-Scan is currently being developed in the US and won’t be accessible until the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clears it, the connected health firm added.
Withings CEO Mathieu Letombe said: “The ability of U-Scan to perform daily urine analysis from the home will allow Withings to take its mission to help consumers fully utilize urine data to an entirely new level.
“It’s one of the most exciting and complex products we have ever announced. We begin this journey with U-Scan Cycle Sync and Nutri Balance and look forward to announcing more cartridges on an ongoing basis as well as medical applications of the technology.”