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withdraw money announced U-Scan, a breakthrough product that allows you to analyze your urine at home. This means you don’t have to go to a doctor or lab to pee into a cup for medical tests.
One of the company’s most technologically advanced devices to date, the U-Scan is a miniature health lab that is hygienically placed in any toilet bowl to uncover a wealth of health information in daily urine.
The project is a game changer when it comes to testing your body — the goal of those who want to have “self quantification,” a topic I wrote about over a decade ago. U-Scan has undergone four years of development. The company announced the fruits of its work at CES 2023, the major tech trade show in Las Vegas.
With more than 3,000 metabolites, urine is an extraordinary witness to assess and monitor a person’s health, Withings said. It provides a snapshot of the body’s balance and is indispensable in tracking and detecting a variety of health information.
While people urinate an average of seven times a day, a urinalysis is usually only done once a year. Withings U-Scan aims to change that by making it possible in the future to conduct biomarker assessments from the comfort and privacy of one’s own bathroom.
U-Scan is designed to be a versatile platform that includes a technologically advanced pebble reader and interchangeable analysis cartridges designed to evaluate specific biomarkers without No need to capture or strip external samples. Then, with the ability to seamlessly sync with the Withings Health Mate app, it provides loads of actionable insights based on daily readings.
The product will launch in Europe with two consumer health cartridges with future medical versions. These include U-Scan Cycle Sync to track and synchronize women’s monthly cycles, and U-Scan Nutri Balance, a detailed metabolic guide to hydration and nutrition.
Withings U-Scan is under development in the United States and will not be available until FDA approval is received.
Additionally, Withings Health Solutions, the company’s B2B division serving the healthcare provider market, is making the technology available to partners for research purposes.
“U-Scan’s ability to perform daily urinalysis at home will enable Withings to take its mission to help consumers take full use of urine data to a whole new level,” said Mathieu Letombe, Director Withings executives, said in a statement. “It’s one of the most exciting and complex products we’ve 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 the medical applications of this technology.”
How it works: Just pee
Despite its ease of use, U-Scan overcomes numerous technical and chemical challenges. Developed with in vitro diagnostic experts, it has resulted in 13 families of patent applications. As a complete system, U-Scan performs three tasks:
Sample collection
The first is automated sampling using a sophisticated reader in the toilet bowl. Measuring only 90 mm in diameter, the rechargeable U-Scan reader is designed to distinguish between external fluids and urine and automatically sample the funnel for analysis. Urine flows efficiently to the collection inlet thanks to the pebble-shaped design. A pump is activated when a thermal sensor detects the presence of urine, initiating the fluid journey of the sample in the microfluidic circuit.
Once collected, the urine sample is pumped into a test box to read the chemical reaction using an optical module. At the end of each measurement, the circuit returns to the no-load position and the remaining liquid is purged through the waste outlet. The system is then cleaned after each flush.
U-Scan can distinguish between different users thanks to its Stream ID feature. Low-power radar sensors embedded in the reader measure multiple variables to determine an individual’s urine flow signature, by detecting urine flow movement and distance. Stream ID information can be confirmed in the app.
biomarker analysis
The second task is biomarker analysis, using miniature urine labs tailored to specific use cases. The rotating cylindrical U-Scan cartridge is a small chemistry evaluation chamber containing dozens of miniature test groups that can deliver reliable results.
Once the reader delivers the sample to the injection point, the U-Scan begins the chemical analysis momentarily. It automatically transmits the results over Wi-Fi and then rotates the cartridge to bring the next test group to the injection point. Each cartridge is designed to support up to three months of reading.
The modular system is purposefully designed to enable Withings to continuously develop and support the analysis of biomarkers associated with various health and medical conditions. Combined with measurements from the Withings ecosystem, U-Scan will generate more insights for users and is an exciting tool that has the potential to help prevent disease, improve quality of life. and reduce health care costs.
Helpful advice
Its ultimate mission is to provide actionable advice, backed by science.
The accompanying Withings app provides results, helpful insights, and guidance designed to help people build habits that improve their health. In Europe, U-Scan Cycle Synchronization results will appear in the Withings app, which will become the central place for cycle tracking, training and logging.
It will display cycle predictions and ovulation window based on hormone detection along with vital biomarkers of hydration and diet, specific gravity and pH levels to help women manage every aspect of the cycle. Full information about U-Scan Cycle Sync is available here. U-Scan Cycle Sync is being developed in the US; Its features will be announced when the solution is available after FDA approval in the future.
In Europe, the U-Scan Nutri Balance app displays analysis of specific gravity, pH, vitamin C and ketone levels. It helps people monitor their metabolism to optimize their daily hydration and nutrients. In addition to displaying results like carb balance and pH levels, it also recommends workouts, diet recommendations, and recipes to achieve defined goals.
U-Scan Nutri Balance is being developed in the United States; Its features will be announced when the solution becomes available following FDA marketing authorization in the future.
availability
U-Scan will be available first in Europe in Q2 2023 with Nutri Balance and Cycle Sync consumable cartridges. Users will be able to purchase the U-Scan starter kit for €499.95 ($530) to receive a U-Scan reader and a cartridge that provides a three-month trial; they will then be able to sign up for auto refills or purchase standalone cartridges on withings.com.
Future U-Scan medical ink cartridges will be available pending regulatory approval in Europe. Withings makes other products such as smart scales, health wearables, blood pressure monitors and sleep analyzers.
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