It's one of those issues that people just don’t talk about So, let’s just put it out there. We’re talking about bowel health.
It’s something you probably don’t want to think about but it’s really important. Researchers have invented a smart toilet that uses artificial intelligence to send data about your, well, poop, to your doctor. It’s called Smart Toilet Technology.
Why is this important for medicine? Because it turns out what comes out can tell you a lot about what is going on inside, including cancers and other chronic gastrointestinal issues.
“The Smart Toilet technology will allow us to gather the long-term information needed to make a more accurate and timely diagnosis of chronic gastrointestinal problems," said Dr. Deborah Fisher, an associate professor of Medicine at Duke University. “Gastroenterologists usually have to rely on patients reporting details on their stool samples themselves, which can be very unreliable.”
Researchers developed the technology by studying thousands of photographs of “you know what”. Volunteers provided most of them.
The images were then compared to what is called the Bristol Stool Scale. Yes, there is such a thing and It’s a really important diagnostic medical tool. The scale is designed to classify the forms of human feces into seven categories.
The team then studied and classified the images using artificial intelligence. It turns out, computers using AI were correct roughly 85% of the time. Just as important, especially for diagnosis, the AI computers detected blood in the pictures more than 76% of the time.
Patients wouldn’t have to buy a new toilet for this to work. The camera is installed in the pipes that are already there. The images are snapped after the toilet is flushed and collected over time. The patient would then send the images to their doctor.
“The technology could not only help diagnose medical issues but it could also monitor how patients respond to treatment,” adds Fisher.
The research was presented at Digestive Disease Week, an international medical conference.