pee(k): A Smart Toilet Health Monitoring System

The Problem

My elderly grandmother living alone struggles to remember medical appointments and maintain health routines. My mother, living far away in Indiana while my grandmother resides in India, lacks regular health updates. This inspired a solution for remote health monitoring.

The Solution

pee(k) is a toilet-attachable module that:

  • Analyzes urine for disease symptoms and health indicators
  • Transmits data to web/mobile applications
  • Provides health recommendations to users and caregivers
  • Enables family members to track elderly relatives’ wellness

Target Market

  • Primary users: Senior citizens
  • Customers: Adult children serving as unpaid caregivers
  • Key insight: A typical caregiver spends $12,700/year to provide care for an adult over 50+ when living distant

Business Model

Following a WHOOP-style subscription approach:

  • Device provided free or subsidized
  • Monthly subscription fee (~$30)
  • Projected 2-year lifespan generating $720 customer lifetime value

Competitive Landscape

Scanadu: Raised $56M developing smartphone urinalysis kits; failed due to FDA issues.

TOTO: 2005 smart toilet ($3,500) analyzing multiple health metrics; ahead of its time.

Panasonic: 2018 smart toilet with fingerprint recognition and body fat measurement.

TOI Labs: Similar concept tracking urine/stool abnormalities through toilet imagery.

Key Challenges

Technical barriers

  • Dipstick tests require cartridge reloads, limiting convenience
  • Lab-on-chip device integration remains unproven
  • FDA approval costs approximately $500,000

Regulatory considerations

  • Medical device classification requires regulatory approval
  • Alternative: device indicates concerns without providing specific diagnoses

Why Toilets and Urine?

Toilets are universally used yet technologically stagnant since the 1992 Energy Policy Act. Urine analysis can diagnose: UTIs, kidney problems, diabetes, liver damage, and infections—making it valuable diagnostic information typically discarded.

Next Steps

Planned consultations with urologists, gastroenterologists, and lab-on-chip researchers at Columbia University to validate technical feasibility and regulatory pathways.