Female pioneers, Duke University gastroenterologist Deborah Fisher, MD, and engineering professor Sonia Grego, PhD, have invented Smart Toilets enabled with artificial intelligence that can analyze stool samples for signs of bleeding, infections, and chronic inflammation.
The technology can be retrofitted within the pipes of an existing toilet. Once a person has a bowel movement and flushes, the toilet will take an image of the stool within the pipes. The data collected over time will provide a gastroenterologist a better understanding of a patient's stool form and the presence of blood, allowing them to diagnose the patient and provide the right treatment for their condition.
"Patients often can't remember what their stool looks like or how often they have a bowel movement, which is part of the standard monitoring process. 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. Fisher.
Current research shows the Smart Toilet technology and gastroenterologists agreed about stool shape more than 85% of the time and Smart Toilet technology correctly detected blood in the stool in more than 75% of cases.
The Smart Toilet technology has been licensed to a startup, Coprata Inc. The "Smart Toilet" will be available for commercial use soon!
