HACKER Q&A
📣 cbeach

Is Vivoo the Next Theranos?


Vivoo https://vivoo.io/ is a urine test that works with smartphones (photo taken of colour-changing patches) and claims to give health insights across multiple indicators.

It’s an interesting idea and I’ve placed an order. But I have nagging suspicions about this sort of thing after the Theranos scandal. Any medical professionals here that could comment?


  👤 nailer Accepted Answer ✓
Honestly asking if someone is the next theranos before you have even spoken to anyone that has accused them of wrongdoing is really poor behaviour. I don’t think this belongs on HN.

👤 lm28469
Looks like a scam to sell you supplement tbh, even though it's been proven over and over that if you have a nutrition even remotely close to normal you don't need any

20 bucks a month for pee strips.... is the US health system in such a bad shape that people can't get regular blood checks at their gp ?


👤 GianFabien
Not a MD (just a PhD in SE). Really depends on what reagents they can put into the patches. Diabetes and several kidney disorders should be detectable. But I doubt they'll ever get as much information as blood pathology.

👤 TheAdamist
No, because no one has heard of it until this ad.

👤 marathonman
This post is incredibly ignorant. Urine strips are well studied technology. It’s not a blood test that someone promised would cure cancer and save the healthcare system but would never disclose how. Vivoo is for biohackers for tracking nutrients and wellness stuff like ketosis. Again, This post is incredibly ignorant.

👤 f1shy
Theranos were selling absolute impossible things. Vivoo seems to only try to help with the diet based on urine... does not seam so impossible.