Are you willing to pay $2.75 for a medical exam whenever you want?
That was the spontaneous experience of Shanghai resident Chris Petersen-Clausen when he visited a public restroom in a shopping mall.
Also: Apple Watch Series 9 review: Why I didn’t choose the cheaper models
He positioned himself at a urinal. The urinal has a monitor that provides urine testing right there.
Like him describe on TwitterX: “I know what you’re thinking: A Chinese company — what about privacy? Truth be told — I’m middle-aged and haven’t had a medical check-up in a while. I’m more worried when knowing everything is okay and the convenience is unmatched. I’m finally actually doing what I know I should be doing.”
This process sounds simple. You pay 19.90 Yuan (about 2.75 USD) via WeChatprovide some personal information and – very soon – get detailed information about your internal chemicals, such as Vitamin C and nitrite levels.
“Before I even got off the escalator, I had my results,” Petersen-Clausen said.
The results showed that he was calcium deficient but still a fairly healthy person.
Petersen-Clausen is one Renowned freelance cinematographer and documentary directorr, a Werner Herzog in the making. He once traveled with former NBA player Dennis Rodman to North Korea and took some famous photos.
And, full disclaimer here, he used to work for me as an art director in New York. So I contacted him to ask more about the whole experience.
“I don’t know about these urinals,” he told me. I just happened to see them in a shopping mall and was curious.”
Also: Amazon Clinic expands telemedicine services nationwide
However, who can make the most of this service?
“I feel like the target audience is the smoking forklift driver who never gets a medical check-up. I like the idea of them finding out something that they should see a doctor about and being saved that way,” I said.
The psychology of this technology is compelling. It brings the ability to monitor people’s health, instead of people having to – in many cases – muster up the courage to go see a doctor. The ultimate surprise was to discover that the health monitor on the urinal was also disabled.
Indeed, Petersen-Clausen was so moved by his first test that he thought he’d try it again to see if his calcium levels went down.
He said: “A few days later, I came across another urinal and did another test. Apparently, I had had enough milk by then. The tests also seemed to be quite comprehensive.”
When there are more people use Apple Watches to track aspects of their healthOne can imagine that this type of technology could be quickly adopted.
“I don’t think this will replace going to the doctor, but it could very well remind you to see the doctor,” said Petersen-Clausen. One cardiologist told me that thanks to the Apple Watch, he now He met more people than before they had heart attacks.”
Of course, there’s always the concern about privacy — and it’s no small matter. There will be those who worry that such public health checks – even if conducted by a private company – could quietly betray their data. Some people may also worry that the technology could monitor other substances – unlicensed or unauthorized ones – that their bodies may contain.
Also: The best fitness rings you can buy: Tested by experts
The fear of betrayal of trust is never far away. Does complete mechanical cleaning in public restrooms bring a false sense of happiness?
But we all want to live a little longer, and we know we need certain inputs to make that happen.
Anything that makes exploring that data easier might seem to many people — like to Petersen-Clausen — like a very good thing.
