VIOVOC Issued U.S. Patent for Ambient Sensing Technology That Decodes Gut Microbiome Signals
New Patent Covers the Passive Measurement of Volatile Organic Compounds and Delivery of Personalized Fiber Guidance
CHICAGO, October 22, 2026--VIOVOC, the wellness platform that helps users master their gut health by working with their own biology, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 12,761,175 entitled, "Method and Apparatus for Remote Monitoring of Various Organic Compounds" covering technology that passively detects signals from a user's gut microbiome and translates them into personalized guidance on fermentable fiber intake.
The patent protects core technology behind VIOVOC's first-of-its-kind ambient air bathroom sensor and proprietary Virtual Fiber Coach, part of the company's wellness platform designed to help users master their weight and gut health by working with their own biology.
VIOVOC's technology is entirely passive and noninvasive, without requiring samples, test kits, or logging of food intake. Ambient bathroom air enters the device housing, where a metal oxide sensor film detects the change in electrical resistance caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in that air. That measurement is then securely transmitted wirelessly to a web server, which compares it against a personalized baseline associated with the individual user and determines a set of curated dietary recommendations associated with that user's intestinal microbiome. Dedicated buttons on the device allow each member of a household to be tracked independently.
The science underlying VIOVOC's new patented device is well established: bacteria in the gut microbiome ferment dietary fiber into short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, propionate and acetate, along with other volatile organic compounds that vaporize into the air. Measuring those compounds has traditionally required gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, a complex, expensive process not suited to mass distribution, which the patented device replaces with a noninvasive instrument that can be deployed widely.
"For 35 years in clinical gastroenterology, I heard patients being told to just eat less or cut carbs, and watched the scale refuse to budge," said Dr. Lawrence Kosinski, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VIOVOC and the named inventor on the patent. "Our bodies have been sending us the answer all along — we simply weren't listening. This patent protects our ability to decode that signal and hand it back to people as something they can act on at their next meal."