Who in their right mind would think of putting a camera in the toilet? If the camera also costs $600, the thing sounds even more crazy. It’s Kohler’s latest idea, and it makes more sense than it seems.
Monitoring Even the Poop
Smartwatches and bracelets have created a whole health monitoring culture. It is what a few years ago we called the ‘Quantified Self,’ but recording the steps was just the beginning. Today, any wearable device is capable of recording our heart rate, the level of oxygen in our blood, and they also measure our sleep.
Where smartwatches or smart rings do not reach, an entire category of health monitoring devices has emerged, such as smart scales or Kohler’s proposal with the Dekoda camera. It is not the first in this line; a couple of years ago, we already talked about the sensor to detect Withings’ urine.
Dekoda: The Camera That Analyzes Your Bowel Movements
Kohler is one of the most recognized household product manufacturers in the United States. They recently announced the creation of a new division focused on health, and their first product is Dekoda, a camera that is installed in the toilet to record the frequency and characteristics of our bowel movements.
Dekoda has advanced optical sensors and spectroscopy that effortlessly observe how light interacts with your waste to detect variations that could indicate health problems. Kohler claims that behind Dekoda, there are more than 10 years of research to ensure accurate and reliable results.
The camera comes with a mobile app where data is transmitted (not photos, thank goodness) and helps detect health issues such as dehydration or the presence of blood in the stool, which can be indicative of serious illnesses. It also offers nutritional suggestions and lifestyle changes. To ensure privacy, all content is encrypted and can be protected by fingerprint. It also comes with a remote control that is placed on the wall to scan the fingerprint and thus distinguish between users.
The camera is placed on the edge of the toilet bowl (it can be installed in any toilet, not just Kohler’s) and works with a rechargeable battery that you can remove to recharge. It costs 599 dollars, but you must also have a subscription to Kohler Health to be able to use the app, adding a cost of 70 dollars per year per user or 130 dollars for multiple users.
Images | Kohler
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