Peter Schorsch
Withings, a global leader in connected health technology, has announced U-Scan, a home biomarker analysis platform and one of the company’s most technologically advanced devices to date.
The company will showcase its new product at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Jan. 5-8.
U-Scan is a miniaturized health lab that hygienically sits in any toilet bowl to monitor daily urine. The Consumer Technology Association, which hosts CES 2023, has already recognized U-Scan as an Innovation Award honoree in three categories — Smart Home, Fitness & Sports and Digital Health.
Urine serves as a useful biomarker to monitor personal health, with more than 3,000 metabolites. It gives an immediate snapshot of the body’s balance and can detect a variety of health information.
While the average human urinates seven times a day, urine analysis is typically only conducted once a year. Withings’ U-Scan aims to change that by making it possible and easy to conduct biomarker assessments from the privacy of one’s own bathroom.
U-Scan is designed as a versatile platform, including a pebble-shaped reader and changeable analysis cartridges designed to assess specific biomarkers without external capture or strips. The readings sync to the Withings Health Mate app to provide actionable insights based on daily readings.
The product is debuting in Europe with two consumer health cartridges. Medical versions will follow, including the U-Scan Cycle Sync for women’s monthly cycle tracking and syncing and the U-Scan Nutri Balance to serve as a metabolic guide to nutrition and hydration.
The products are currently under development in the U.S. and will not be available until they receive Food and Drug Administration clearance.
“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,” Withings CEO Mathieu Letombe said. “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.”
The company is marketing U-Scan as “easy as 1, 2, pee.” Its ease of use overcomes several technical and chemical challenges. The product has been in production for four years and resulted in 13 patent application families.
The complete system can perform three tasks, including automated sample capture, biomarker analyses and actionable advice.
The automated sample capture is just 90mm in diameter and the U-Scan reader is engineered to distinguish between external liquid and urine. It automatically funnels samples for analysis by collecting urine flow into a collection inlet and utilizing a pump that is activated when a thermal sensor detects the presence of urine. Once urine is detected, it passes through a microfluidic circuit, and is injected into a test pod where the chemical reaction is read by an optical module.
At the end of the measurement, remaining liquid is purged through a waste outlet and is cleaned with every flush.
U-Scan can also distinguish between various users using its Stream ID feature, which includes low-energy radar sensors to identify an individual’s urine stream signature by detecting the movement and distance of the urine stream. That information can be confirmed in the system’s app.
The biomarker analysis contains dozens of miniaturized test pods. Results are automatically transmitted via Wi-Fi. Each cartridge is designed to support up to three months of readings.
The design is created to allow Withings to continually develop updates to respond to various medical and health conditions.
But measurements are meaningless without actionable advice using science-backed insights. U-Scan is designed to provide guidance to help build healthy habits for enhanced wellness. The Cycle Sync will provide cycle tracking, coaching and journaling and will show cycle predictions and ovulation window based on hormonal detection. Hydration and dietary biomarkers, such as pH levels, are also measured.
Nutri Balance reads pH, vitamin C and ketone levels and helps people monitor metabolic intake to optimize daily hydration and nutrients.
The product is expected to be available in Europe in the second quarter of 2023 for about €500, which includes the U-Scan reader and one cartridge. Consumers can then subscribe to an automatic refill or buy standalone cartridges on Withings’ website.
Sale in the U.S. will be announced following FDA approval.
Withings first created a smart scale in 2009 and since, has designed and manufactured connected health solutions. Their offerings include smart scales, hybrid watches, blood pressure monitors, sleep analyzers and more.
