Researchers at Stanford Pioneer a Data-Powered Toilet
Kalina N — June 25, 2020 — Art & Design
Sanjiv Gambhir and his colleagues have debuted a unique smart toilet concept that will have long-term implications for health. Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the innovation consists of a mountable and modular system that is "capable of monitoring a person’s health by analyzing their urine and poop." This data is later uploaded to the could and could be used for detecting diseases and other health problems in a continuous manner.
Since washroom facilities—even smart toilet concepts like this one—have the potential to be used by more than one person, Gambhir and his team have installed a flush lever with a fingerprint scanner and added a camera on the inside of the bowl that can identify people. This information is not accessible to neither toilet user nor medical professionals, however, in order to preserve privacy.
Image Credit: Seung-min Park et al., 2020/Nature Biomedical Engineering
Since washroom facilities—even smart toilet concepts like this one—have the potential to be used by more than one person, Gambhir and his team have installed a flush lever with a fingerprint scanner and added a camera on the inside of the bowl that can identify people. This information is not accessible to neither toilet user nor medical professionals, however, in order to preserve privacy.
Image Credit: Seung-min Park et al., 2020/Nature Biomedical Engineering
Trend Themes
1. Data-powered Health Monitoring - The concept of using data analysis from bodily waste to monitor and detect diseases presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the healthcare industry.
2. Smart Toilets - The development of smart toilets with sensors and advanced technology opens up opportunities for innovation in the bathroom fixture manufacturing industry.
3. Privacy-preserving Technology - The integration of privacy-preserving technologies, such as fingerprint scanners and camera identification, creates opportunities for disruptive innovation in the data security industry.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities by leveraging the use of data analysis from bodily waste for disease detection and monitoring.
2. Bathroom Fixture Manufacturing - The integration of sensors and advanced technology in smart toilets allows the bathroom fixture manufacturing industry to explore disruptive innovation opportunities.
3. Data Security - The implementation of privacy-preserving technologies in smart toilet concepts presents disruptive innovation opportunities for the data security industry.
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