
THE VIBE SCIENCE PODCAST Smart Toilets Explained: How Throne Detects Colon Cancer Early with Scott Hickle
Oct 29, 2025
Scott Hickle, CEO of Throne, leads a revolution in health monitoring with their smart toilet that employs AI and computer vision to track gut health and urinary function. He shares its fascinating origin story and the technical magic behind detecting conditions like colon cancer and IBS. Delve into privacy issues, initial skepticism, and how the device offers a hands-free approach to health insights. Scott's vision for continuous monitoring could transform preventive healthcare into a routine aspect of daily life.
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Started As A Poker-Table Joke
- Throne began as a joke proposed at a poker table about a toilet seat that weighed you before and after.
- The founders turned that joke into a startup focusing on meaningful gut-health monitoring.
Continuous Toilet Monitoring
- Throne clips onto the toilet and uses computer vision to continuously monitor stool and urine for health signals.
- The device targets gut health, urinary function, hydration, and aims to become an early warning system for colon cancer.
Detecting Hidden Blood Automatically
- Fecal occult blood is an early, often invisible sign of colon cancer that current tests require a stool sample.
- Throne aims to make detection hands-free and automatic to increase screening compliance.

