Kohler's new toilet sensor scans your waste for health clues
Kohler just launched Dekoda, a $599 toilet-mounted sensor that uses optical spectroscopy and algorithms to analyze your bathroom breaks. It tracks hydration, assesses gut health, and flags potential health issues like blood in the bowl, sending encrypted data to a companion app. Why it matters: It turns an everyday routine into continuous preventive screening, though it requires an ongoing subscription.
If your smartwatch tracking every heartbeat and sleep cycle hasn’t already given you health anxiety, Kohler has found a whole new way to keep tabs on you.
Under its new Kohler Health wellness division, the plumbing fixture giant just announced Dekoda, a toilet-mounted sensor that uses optical sensors and AI algorithms to analyze your bathroom visits. The device tracks hydration, evaluates gut health, and flags traces of blood in stool. It is available for preorder at $599, with shipping scheduled to start on October 21.
A downward-facing scanner for your bowl
The device clamps onto most toilet rims without tools, requiring a rim width between 32 and 58 mm and at least 6 mm of lid clearance. Kohler notes it will not work on darker colored bowls because reduced light reflection interferes with the readings.
Hardware components sit mostly on the exterior, including a magnetic rechargeable battery that lasts about a week and charges via USB-C or an included magnetic pad, sparing you from dismounting the whole rig.
Inside the rim, advanced optical sensors use spectroscopy to analyze light interaction with waste. Kohler stressed that the optics point strictly downward into the bowl and never capture body parts or the bathroom surroundings. Health data is end-to-end encrypted, and a wall-mounted remote with an integrated fingerprint scanner distinguishes different family members.
Accessing the insights requires a Kohler Health subscription via its mobile app, which is currently iOS-only with an Android version on the way. Plans cost $6.99 monthly or $70 annually for single users, and $12.99 monthly or $130 annually for up to five family members, with some reporting pointing to tiers reaching up to $156 per year.
Why it matters
Passive health monitoring has conquered wrists and rings, and sanitary fixtures are the logical, if uncomfortable, next frontier. Similar to smart litter boxes monitoring pet health, human waste carries critical biomarkers around hydration, digestion, and early gastrointestinal warnings like occult blood that people routinely overlook.
That said, dropping $600 upfront plus a recurring subscription on a toilet gadget is a steep ask. Beyond the financial cost, the psychological friction of placing optical sensors inside the most private corner of a home remains immense. Kohler has taken smart privacy precautions with strict angles, encryption, and fingerprint auth, but convincing consumers to normalize AI in the bowl will be an uphill battle against competitors like Throne.
Sources (2)
- theverge.com(opens in a new tab)Originaltheverge.com
- interestingengineering.com(opens in a new tab)Reportinterestingengineering.com