Turdle™ 

A Toilet Automatic Stool Sampling System

Closed Stool Sample Collector

Smartphones have made it possible to monitor and control all kinds of nearby devices.  Most recently, smartphones are being used to track a growing number of home-based health monitoring devices and tests.  In an article, So A, the health monitoring boom only gets weirder from here, Wired, 2025 Jan 7, (hereinafter the “So Article”) describes this growth in home-based and smartphone-connected health monitoring devices and tests as a boom. 

The So Article reviews several home-based health monitoring devices and tests.  These include a glucose monitor, an atrial health monitor, hormone monitoring saliva test strips, and women’s health test strips.  The article describes that many of these monitoring devices and tests are not invasive but many are moving in that direction.  The glucose monitor, for example, includes small filaments or needles that are inserted under the skin. 

A recent paper suggests one important type of noninvasive home monitoring that remains largely unexplored.  In a paper, Ge TJ et al., passive monitoring by smart toilets for precision health, Sci Transl Med. 2023 Feb, (hereinafter the “Ge Paper”) describe the many benefits that could derived from monitoring excretory material for what they call “precision health.” 

The Ge Paper proposes that the bathroom, and more specifically the toilet, is well suited for noninvasive health monitoring devices.  The Ge Paper outlines a wealth of useful health information that can be obtained by monitoring and sampling urine and stool. 

The Ge Paper suggests, however, that two factors are preventing urine and stool analysis from being a “gateway to the ‘digitalization’ of health care in the home.”  First, they claim there is a “reluctance to openly discuss excreta.”  Second, they claim that patients are generally “reluctant to handle their own excrement.”  As evidence, they report that, despite manual home stool tests being shown to reduce colorectal cancer mortality, patient participation rates for stool testing remain at or below 30%. 

The Ge Paper surmises that the use of smart toilets is the best way to automate urine and stool analyses and overcome the stigma associated with excretory data.  By “smart toilet” they mean integrating computer-controlled and monitored sensors into toilet seats or entire toilets.  This is similar to what is currently being done to enhance the “toileting experience” by adding bidets, heated seats, and other devices to toilet seats or entire toilets. 

One exemplary smart toilet for automated urine and stool analyses is provided in U.S. Patent 11,604,177 (hereinafter the “’177 Patent”).  A stool analysis module of the ’177 Patent includes one or more cameras placed in the toilet bowl for imaging stool to “identify colorimetric, fecal occult blood, and/or other changes for screening cancer and/or other conditions.” 

The Ge Paper also references a system and method that can provide sample collection by modifying the plumbing connected to a toilet.  This reference is Grego S et al., a hands-free stool sampling system for monitoring intestinal health and disease, Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 27 (hereinafter the “Grego Paper”).  The Grego Paper also suggests that important health information can be obtained by monitoring and sampling stool and highlights the fact that only a small amount of material is needed to obtain this information.  To get this material, the Grego Paper describes a system and method for collecting stool samples after a toilet is flushed and the stool enters a drain pipe.  The system and method of the Grego Paper are also described in U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0102589 (hereinafter the “’589 Publication”). 

Through a series of valves added to the drain pipe of a toilet, the system of the ’589 Publication immobilizes stool in the pipe.  The system then liquefies the immobilized stool using a jet of liquid sprayed at the stool.  A valve is then opened to collect the liquified stool in a sample extraction vessel. 

In summary, the So Article shows the current and growing interest in home-based health monitoring devices.  The Ge Paper and the Grego Paper stress the importance of extending home-based health monitoring and sampling to the bathroom of the home. 

One problem, however, with the system of the ’177 Patent is outlined in the Ge Paper.  The paper describes that it is not clear that patients will adopt the use of cameras and other types of sensors in their toilets due to privacy concerns.  

A problem with both the system of the ’177 Patent and the system of the ’589 Publication is that they are both complex and expensive for a home-based device.  The system of the ’177 Patent relies on cameras and sophisticated image processing to produce actionable health information.  The system of the ’589 Publication requires significant modification to the plumbing of a house.  It will also likely require modifications to the walls of the house to access and maintain the pipes and valves added. 

As a result, there is an unmet need for systems and methods that provide for stool collection in an existing toilet with little modification to the toilet and using inexpensive and readily available parts unlikely to cause privacy concerns. 

The Turdle™ (Patent Pending) is a system for automatic stool sampling that is added to an existing toilet.  The system includes a stool sample collector.  One or more pumps collect a stool sample from the stool sample collector automatically and place the sample in a collection vessel or cup.  The stool sample collector and the one or more pumps are controlled by one or more processors.  As a result, the stool sample can be collected without the user having to handle their stool or even see the stool being collected. 

Open Stool Sample Collector