Vivoo 2.0 Smart Urine Test Strips Review – Keto testing & health insights such as hydration, vitamins C and calcium

I am a big fan of all things to do with health technology. I used to be very unfit and unhealthy, and using technology has helped me understand my body better and how to improve both my health and fitness performance. I am also getting old, so monitoring various health aspects has become increasingly important.

Over the years, I have reviewed and often continue to use a variety of fitness/sports watches, blood pressure monitors, ECG machines, smart scales, sleep tracking devices, blood testing services, weight loss technology, and meditation technology. I have also reviewed fitness-focused prepped meals and experimented with monitoring my blood glucose levels (using old-fashioned non-smart devices).

Urine analysis is a first for me, but it is not unique in the world of health. Urine strips have been a mainstay of the initial diagnosis for GPs, and many people need to use them on a regular basis for an early warning for pre-existing conditions.

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	Vivoo 2.0 | Advanced Urine Test Strips with App | at Home...	No ratings yet	£24.99	Buy on Amazon

Smart Toilet vs Withings U Scan at CES 2023

At CES, two devices were launched to analyse urine, the Withings U-Scan and the Vivoo smart toilet.

It sounds like both devices do the same thing. The Withings U Scan uses a cartridge-based system, and it goes inside the toilet.

The Vivoo device is actually a toilet seat and can be retrofitted on existing toilets. It keeps most of the hardware outside of the toilet, which could be inconvenient when using the toilet, but less unpleasant when dealing with the test strips. With this, the urine test strip automatically aligns with the urine flow. When you are finished, it will retract back inside the machine and use an advanced optical reader to interpret the results and display them on the app within 90 seconds.

Neither device is available on the market yet. There is no indication when the Vivoo will be available, but the U-Scan will be available in the second half of 2023

Vivoo 2.0 Smart Urine Test Strips

If that sounds interesting to you, then Vivoo already has a solution on the market. It is less elaborate, but it is still smart. They have taken the old-fashioned urine strips idea and then made it smart by designing it so you can take a photo of the results and have those automatically analysed, giving you much more accurate and easier-to-understand results than the old-fashioned sticks.

What health markers does it show

With Vivoo, you can track your body’s wellness based on 9 wellness parameters: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Sodium, Water, Calcium, pH, Hydration, Ketones, and Proteins.

Vivoo also provides personalised nutritional lifestyle advice based on your results to help you improve!

You will receive an overall wellness score and detailed feedback on each wellness parameter.

Testing process

Using Vivoo is quite a simple process, which is as predictable as you might expect for a smart urine analysis strip.

You download the app, sign up and provide some basic information about yourself as well as your goals.

The strips themselves are all contained in individual packaging. When you are ready to test, you follow the step-by-step instructions within the app. Basically, you simply urinate on the strip for a couple of seconds, then wait 90 seconds for the test patches to react (there is a timer in the app).

Then use your phone camera to align the QR code and the guide marks. The camera should automatically take a photo when aligned properly, and it does this three times to ensure it gets a proper reading.

The app takes a few seconds to analyse your result.

Results

I received a one-month supply, but I used the tests more frequently and did it over two weeks.  

As I have some basic knowledge of health and nutrition as well as actively trying to be fit and healthy, the overall results I got were not that surprising.

I think most healthy-ish people will benefit from having some feedback on their hydration and sodium levels. Even I get a bit confused about hydration recommendations. Drinking 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day is the general recommendation, but exactly how much is that? In the US, they recommend 3.7 litres for a man, but you need to factor in liquids that naturally occur in foods. More recently, BBC News reported that people only really need about 1.5 to 1.8 litres per day. I have about that much in coffee!

Of course, the more active you are, the more water you need. So having some idea of your hydration levels is quite useful.

Modern diets are sodium-laden (and lacking in potassium to counter it), and we all know that a high sodium intake can be bad for you. Though, it is a bit more complex than that. For me, at least, sodium appears to have a big impact on water retention, and this can affect both aesthetics and performance.

The app will give you an indication of ketones in your urine. Traditionally you may not want this, but with the popularity of keto diets, this could provide useful feedback on if you are in ketogenesis. I have never done a keto diet, but I’d assume if you are monitoring ketones, this is done on a regular basis, so I think the Vivoo system may prove to be prohibitively expensive for this function.

As my first two results showed that I was quite healthy, I was interested to see how much both exercise and intermittent fasting affected my results. I generally don’t eat until lunchtime and fast 18 hours per day. There are supposed to be lots of benefits to this, but I mainly do it just because I don’t like eating breakfast, and I find it makes me hungrier.

Pre-gym indicated I had ketones in my blood, not ideal for normal people, but this was to be expected for me, and it’s a sign that my body will burn fat. Post-gym, my overall results improved, my hydration dropped, but that’s to be expected, and the ketones were the same. Like all the results, nothing I saw was unexpected, but it is nice to have confirmation.

For all the results, you get some feedback on the effects of a low or high result and how to improve or maintain your result. I imagine it could be quite insightful for anyone that doesn’t have a lot of knowledge of health or nutrition.

Price and Alternative Options

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Vivoo 2.0 | Advanced Urine Test Strips with App | at Home...	No ratings yet	£24.99	Buy on Amazon

I received a one-month supply which consists of just 4 strips. This will set you back £40, so £10 per test. You can bring this down to £5 per test by getting a 48 count pack, but there is no denying that this is very expensive.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	10 Parameter Urine Test Strips - Individually Packed &...	No ratings yet		Buy on Amazon

You can buy less-smart but app-guided urine test strips for just £10 for 10, so you are essentially paying up to £9 per test just for the smart features.

As I said earlier in the article, the Withings U and Vivoo toilet seat will be launched at a later date. Considering the costs of these strips and expect the cartridges of the Withings and strips of the Vivoo to be quite expensive, plus the initial cost of the device. However, for both of these devices, they will be geared towards people that need to be taking regular readings rather than casual users like myself.

Overall

I have been a big fan of health tech ever since getting fit, and I am generally fond of anything that can easily provide me insights into my health and how to improve it.

This applies to Vivoo, it is very easy to use, and it does provide useful insight into my health that I haven’t been getting from other devices. Like most health tech, if you are already healthy, being told that you are healthy makes the results feel a bit underwhelming.

The main issue I have is the price. Unless you are willing to commit to the 48 packs, which is supposed to be four years’ worth of testing, then this is extraordinarily expensive per test. With a one-month pack, you are paying at least £9 per test just for the smart features. Personally, I think the base price should be closer to £5 per test.

I suppose a lot of buyers would be like myself, fairly healthy in the first place and just want some basic insight. Once they have done the first few tests, then there is little reason to carry on. While £40 is still expensive for what they are doing, spending £40 to get some easy insight into your health isn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things.

I also have to give some credit to Vivoo. They seem to be the only company on the market that currently offers a service like this.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.

Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API