UroSound: A Smartwatch-Based Platform to Perform Non-Intrusive Sound-Based Uroflowmetry

Leveraging consumer technology such as smartwatches to objectively and remotely assess people with voiding dysfunction could capture unique features for prompt diagnosis of a disease. This paper presents the UroSound, the first platform that performs non-intrusive sound-based uroflowmetry with a smartwatch. We study the feasibility of using a smartwatch to assess how well the urinary tract functions by processing the sound generated when the urine stream hits the water level in the toilet bowl, which can be modelled through the sound envelope. Signal-based features related to the sound envelope were extracted from a smartwatch’s built-in microphone. The constructed model achieves a good correlation between acoustic and standard uroflowmetry in terms of the voiding shape and it can extract relevant voiding parameters. This indicates that accurate and remote measurement of the ambulatory characteristics of voiding dysfunction can be achieved with smartwatch-based uroflowmetry. UroSound also facilitates the collection of a voiding diary by measuring multiple uroflows during daytime and nighttime. Finally, the performance of 6 commercial smartwatches was analysed while recording a voiding event. The results demonstrate that the presence of an automatic gain control in the smartwatch microphone has a negative impact on the signal envelope, and should be avoided. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential for the use of smartwatches in the assessment of voiding dysfunction, to deliver more personalized and effective health care at home with less waste of time and resources, in particular in rural or less developed areas where access to a urology specialist is more difficult.