Bernard Marr: - Artificial Intelligence In Your Toilet. Yes, Really!

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Artificial Intelligence In Your Toilet. Yes, Really!

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.

Toilet Makeover
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.Toilets as a 

Health Tool
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.

Other companies' projects focus on solutions that would allow the elderly and people with disabilities to live independently longer. Thei Toilet 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.

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