Withings U-Scan

In the framework of CES 2023, the well-known wearable and healthcare product company announced the Withings U-Scan. It is a small stone-shaped "pill" that will allow us to perform frequent and quick urine tests, from the comfort of our bathroom. This device is designed to be installed in almost any bathroom, and provides daily measurements that can be used to improve the health of users.

As they mention, urine is one of the most complete indicators of health that the human body removes every day. Containing around 3,000 metabolites – or waste products resulting from the breakdown of food and fluids through metabolism – urine can provide relatively clear biomarkers of a person's health. However, it is also one of the least frequently performed tests. Until now

A personal laboratory using cartridges

The Withings U-Scan platform was designed to be extremely versatile. This device uses cartridges to obtain different parameters, including U-Scan Nutri Balance and U-Scan Cycle Sync. These modules will be responsible for monitoring several essential aspects of hydration and nutrition, as well as monitoring women's hormonal and menstrual cycles, respectively:

U-Scan Nutri Balance

• Specific gravity for the water balance.
• pH for protein-vegetable balance.
• Ketones for energy metabolism.
• Vitamin C level.

U-Scan Cycle synchronization

• LH (luteinizing hormone) to determine the accurate prediction of the menstrual cycle and ovulation window.
• Specific gravity for the water balance.
• pH for protein-vegetable balance.

Each cylindrical cartridge contains approximately 100 test capsules containing the chemical reagents required to detect the aforementioned biomarkers. These cartridges are designed to last up to 3 months in operation using Withings' recommended follow-up plan.

Thanks to this modular design, Withings can continue to develop the product in a short time without making the purchase obsolete, adding many more capsules to the catalog and achieving increasingly complex or specialized metrics.

How it workd  Withings U-Scan?

To obtain the data, the Withings U-Scan identifies the urine by temperature when it falls into the outer casing, and begins the sampling process using a small pump. The urine sample is then injected into one of the reagent capsules. When the capsule changes color, an optical sensor collects the data, sends it to the mobile app and discards the remaining liquid.

The cartridge provides data via Wi-Fi, and at the end of each test, the barrel rotates to reveal the next capsule to the injection point, ready for the next sample.

As if that weren't enough, U-Scan can distinguish between multiple users, creating a personal identifier that the company calls Stream ID. To do this, this device uses several low-power radars that measure variables such as the aircraft's movement and distance, creating a "signature" for each person.