science

Would you put a camera in your TOILET? Bizarre AI device attaches to the bowl and analyses the shape, size and structure of your poop for signs of disease


It’s something we all do, yet is often seen as a taboo subject. 

Now, scientists are finally lifting the lid on our bowel movements, with the launch of a new camera for your toilet.  

Researchers from Throne Science have developed a bizarre device that clips onto the side of the bowl, and uses AI to analyse your stools. 

Thankfully, you won’t be shown the photos themselves, and instead will receive a breakdown on the shape, size and structure of your waste. 

‘Monitoring bowel movements can provide valuable insights into digestive health and nutrient absorption, as well as serve as an early warning sign for various conditions like gastrointestinal bleeding,’ Throne Science explains on its website. 

‘It’s a cost-effective, non-invasive way to keep tabs on overall health. 

‘And for individuals with chronic gastrointestinal diseases, it’s an essential part of ongoing management.’

Throne Sciences believes that tracking your gut health should be ‘as common as tracking steps’. 

‘There’s valuable health information in our waste that almost all of us ignore,’ it explains on its website. 

‘By making gut health and hydration monitoring an effortless part of daily routines, we’re making these vital health indicators visible and actionable.’

Its device, simply called ‘Throne’, clips onto the side of your toilet bowel, and offers a ‘hands-off’ experience.

‘Throne uses a downward facing camera that securely captures video during each bathroom visit, which is then analyzed by advanced AI models,’ Throne Sciences said. 

‘These AI models are specifically trained to categorize and interpret the contents, providing valuable insights into your digestive and hydration status as part of your daily routine.’

An analysis of each stool will be fed to you via an accompanying smartphone app, where you can explore everything from your hydration to your regularity. 

If you share your toilet with housemates or family, they can all track their stools too. 

‘Sharing your home with family or roommates doesn’t mean you have to share your personal Throne data,’ Throne Sciences explained. 

Privacy will likely be a key concern for many users of the AI camera - Throne Sciences claims it hold this in the 'highest regard'

An analysis of each stool will be fed to you via an accompanying smartphone app

The device comes with a hefty price tag. Throne will retail at an eye-watering $499 when it goes on sale at the end of the year!

‘Just set up individual profiles in our app, and thanks to Bluetooth, Throne knows exactly who’s who. 

‘Each user’s data is kept separately and securely, so you can easily keep tabs on your own health without any mix-ups.’ 

Readers Also Like:  PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate 108th Indian Science Congress on ... - Business Standard

Privacy will likely be a key concern for many users of the AI camera – and Throne Sciences claims it hold this in the ‘highest regard’.

‘We only capture data that is relevant to improving health, and we design every product with strict safeguards to ensure the user’s dignity and confidentiality,’ it advised. 

However, the device comes with a hefty price tag. 

Throne will retail at an eye-watering $499 when it goes on sale at the end of the year! 

HOW DO ASTRONAUTS GO TO THE TOILET?

On board the ISS there is a toilet which has several attachments.

As there is no gravity in space, liquids do not flow but accumulate in floating globules.

To counter this problem, there are hoses which are used and provide pressure to suck the fluid from the body.

Each astronaut has their own personal attachment.

When a toilet is not available or the astronaut is on a space-walk, the astronauts use MAGs (maximum absorbency garments) which are diapers that soak up all the waste.

They are effective for short missions but have been known to leak occasionally.  

Nasa is aiming to develop a suit which allows for long-term spacesuit usage and complete independent disposal of human waste. 

On the moon missions there was no toilet and the all-male crew had ‘condom catheter’s that attached to the penis and the fluid was fed to a bag that resided outside of the suit.  

According to an 1976 interview with astronaut Rusty Schweickart, the condom catheters came in three sizes: small, medium and large. 

Readers Also Like:  ‘Wobbly spacetime’ may help resolve contradictory physics theories

Despite the practical advantages of having the right size, the astronauts often ordered the large ones and this resulted in a leakage of urine in the suit.

To combat this, Nasa renamed the sizes as large, gigantic, and humongous to appease the male ego. 

There has yet to be an effective female equivalent developed, something Nasa aims to change for the Orion missions. 





READ SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.