People get grossed out by toilet-related matters, but the fact is, there’s usable data in every bowl. “The bathroom stands as an untapped hub of vital health data and information,” writes Kohler. “Every day, we flush away insights that could help us better understand our bodies and our health.”
The company’s new initiative, Kohler Health, is releasing this Dekoda device. It’s basically a toilet-mounted (downward-facing) camera that images your poops, then analyzes them using machine-learning algorithms.
The captured data is sent to a Kohler Health app on your phone, where you can privately view “key health and wellness indicators” including “hydration, gut health, and the detection of blood in the toilet.” (I’m no doctor, but that last one, I think I’d spot.)
“Each session [on the toilet] is a chance to discover new gut health insights.”
If you’re worried about someone stealing your poop data, you can order an optional fingerprint authentication module for the camera.
I don’t know if all of this is helpful or hooey, but I’m impressed that the company was bold enough to even propose this object, let alone bring it to market. What I wouldn’t give to see what those boardroom discussions were like.
The Dekoda retails for $600. The app, unfortunately, is subscription-based at $70 a year.