“Is the matter worthy of praise?” asks Sganarelle, in The Doctor despite himselfwith an eschatological modesty that honors Molière. That was in 1666. We are now in 2025 and modesty must be technological. Here, in the role of Sganarelle, is Dekoda, a camera equipped with sensors that is attached to the toilet bowl and which has been developed by the young American company Kohler Health. Like several startups and Molière, the young company knows that your urine and stool can say a lot about your health and wants to help you see… more clearly.
“Dekoda is designed to integrate easily into everyday life. It decodes hydration, intestinal health and blood detection in the toilet bowl, discreetly and without interruptions. By establishing personal baseline data and tracking trends over time, it allows everyone to make informed decisions and adopt healthier habits,” the startup details in a press release.
Hydration, intestinal health…
To provide this data to the user, the device connects to an application (currently only compatible with iOS), Kohler Health. From the urine analysis you will be able to evaluate the user’s hydration level (underhydrated or hydrated), and alert them in real time of changes. Dekoda will also gain practical insights from stool, examining its frequency, consistency and shape, to help the user adopt good habits for a healthy gut.
Detecting the presence of blood will provide “better awareness of potential changes in health and well-being through daily passive monitoring,” according to Kohler.
Privacy
The startup claims that its device will analyze the contents of the toilet bowl while preserving the privacy of users. “Dekoda sensors only see the inside of your toilet and nothing else,” it says on its site. It will also be possible to start and stop each analysis session using a remote control whose authentication is done using a fingerprint. Finally, according to Kohler, the data is encrypted so that only the user can read it.
The startup thus aims to offer a product that will allow you to learn more about your health to adopt better habits without worrying about your private life. But this has a cost because, in addition to the price ($599), you will have to sign up for a subscription that costs at least 6.99 euros per month (or $70 per year).
Available for pre-order, Dekoda will officially launch on October 21 in the United States.
Source: BFM TV
