Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere, but until recently, it wasn't a part of your toilet. Several companies are wanting to change that not only to appeal to people's comfort levels with built-in access to Alexa, LED lights, and hands-free lids but also because smart toilets can serve as essential health trackers.

1. AI Toilets?
Yes, They Are Here

2. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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If you think they’ve thought of everything, what about a toilet that costs
$8,000? It could come to a loo near you by the end of 2019. What could
possibly make a bit of porcelain worth that much money? It might just become
priceless if its smart technology can identify a health problem before its too
late. Here is how artificial intelligence is being used for toilets.
Artificially Intelligent Toilets?
Yes, They are Here

3. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
As artificial intelligence has been altering our homes and workplaces, our toilets
were neglected. Even though Japanese companies have been selling high-tech
toilets since the 1980s, they hadn’t gained much traction in the rest of the world.
That’s not the case anymore!
Kitchen and bath supplier Kohler just introduced its second-generation Numi 2.0
Intelligent Toilet that comes equipped with LED lights that can change color
dynamically; built-in Amazon Alexa so you can inquire about the weather, ask Alexa
questions and play your favorite tunes while relieving yourself; hands-free, motion-
activated (and heated) lid; Bluetooth; bidet and dryer; and more! Of course, in the
case of a power outage, the toilet has an emergency flush feature.
Toilet Makeover

4. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Aside from the novelty of a smart toilet with all the bells and whistles, smart toilets
can actually play an important role in monitoring health at the hospital and at
home. One toilet seat developed by the Rochester Institute of Technology contains
devices that measure blood oxygenation levels, heart rate, and blood pressure to
signal when someone is at risk for congestive heart failure. The device was part of a
study to determine ways to reduce hospital readmission rates; nearly 70% of
patients with congestive heart failure are readmitted within 90 days of discharge.
Japanese firm Toto created one of the first smart toilets that could monitor health
indicators in the early 2000s. It was able to monitor sugar levels in urine, check
body weight, temperature and hormone levels and transmit the data to computers
and doctors who could advise about fertility. Toto’s Flow Sky toilet can measure
urine flow by monitoring the water level in the toilet. Changes in urine flow could
signal a prostate or bladder concern.
Toilets as a Health Tool

5. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Other companies' projects focus on solutions that would allow the elderly and
people with disabilities to live independently longer. The iToilet project created a
toilet that could adjust the height and tilt of a toilet via voice commands and have
sensors to detect the safety of people using them. This not only helps the people
using them be more independent but also relieves strain on their caregivers.
What if the toilet in your home could monitor your health by analyzing your daily
waste? This might be possible on a wide scale in the future. Discreetly placed
sensors on the toilet could retrieve the data that artificial algorithms could analyze
to determine early signs of disease if there are other health issues that need to be
addressed or manage conditions such as diabetes. Since toilets get used several
times a day, it makes capturing data easy and part of a person's everyday routine.
This consistent data could help us all shift to a more proactive response to
healthcare.
Toilets as a Health Tool

6. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Smart toilets could also have an essential role in monitoring public health. With the
help of data collected from smart toilets in public spaces in combination with the
weather and other data from satellites, it could give global health professionals
early warnings of a disease outbreak before it becomes a crisis.
Since human waste leaves a lot of clues about a person's overall health, more
consistent analysis of it could be beneficial. Many illnesses and ailments such as
kidney disease, bladder issues and infections, cancer, and more leave tell-tale signs
in urine and feces that they have invaded the body. Chemical analysis, cameras, and
other techniques can be used to gather this intel. Unlike wearable health trackers,
people don't need to remember to charge batteries or "put on" a smart toilet. A
person's consistent use of a smart toilet will allow for consistent data creation
without them needing to remember or do anything outside of their routine.
Toilets as a Health Tool

7. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Toilets are the same as any consumer product—the more interest and demand for
smart toilets that can track health status the more companies will jump in to create
the supply. Now that consumers are using health and fitness devices, will they be
more interested in a smart toilet? If Google getting a patent for a blood pressure-
monitoring toilet is any indication, we believe intelligent toilets will begin to
proliferate assuming manufacturers make them easy to use and reliable as well as
overcome the privacy and security concerns people will have about collecting this
very personal data.
What reservations do you have about using a smart toilet?
Toilets as a Health Tool

8. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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