Image: Withings
Withings today unveiled U-Scan — a smart, hands-free home urine lab for advanced biomarker analysis from the comfort and privacy of your own bathroom.
U-Scan is designed to be a versatile platform consisting of a technologically advanced pebble-shaped reader and changeable analysis cartridges designed to assess specific biomarkers without the need for external sample capture or strips. Then, with seamless sync to the Withings Health Mate app, it will provide a wealth of actionable insights based on daily readings.
Withings, owned by former smartphone giant Nokia, is a connected wellness brand focused on integrating advanced health tracking into daily life. It describes U-Scan as “a miniaturized health lab that hygienically sits within any toilet bowl to unlock the wealth of health information in daily urine.”
U-Scan is designed to offer precise snapshots of various health metrics by analyzing urine. According to Withings, it performs three tasks:
U-Scan has already been recognized as a CES 2023 Innovation Award honoree in three categories: Smart Home, Fitness & Sports, and Digital Health.
Withings will first launch U-Scan in Europe in Q2 2023 with two different kinds of consumer cartridges, Nutri Balance and CycleSync.
Nutri Balance provides a detailed metabolic guide to hydration and nutrition, complete with diet coaching through the connected app, while CycleSync offers advanced, highly accurate monthly cycle tracking and syncing for women. Each cartridge is designed to support up to three months of readings.
U-Scan will be available as a starter kit with one U-Scan reader and one cartridge for €499.95. Users will be able to either subscribe for automatic cartridge refills or buy them standalone from Withings. Future medical cartridges for U-Scan will be available pending regulatory approvals in Europe.
U-Scan will also be available as U-Scan for Professionals, a research and analysis platform for healthcare professionals, from Withings Health Solutions, the company’s business-to-business division.
“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 in a statement to iPhone in Canada.
“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.”
U-Scan won’t be available in the U.S. at launch, but Withings plans to launch it in the States following FDA clearance. There’s no word yet on when U-Scan will be available for Canadian toilets, but we’ve reached out for Canadian pricing and availability — stay tuned for updates.
Update: Withings told iPhone in Canada in an email the U-Scan is pending expected Health Canada approval in 2024; pricing will be around $649 CAD.
